


Legend of Zelda: the Frontiers

by thegreathedgehog



Series: Legend of Zelda: Futures [3]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-08
Updated: 2019-09-30
Packaged: 2020-02-28 16:29:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 32,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18760153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegreathedgehog/pseuds/thegreathedgehog
Summary: A year has passed since the defeat of the Lich. The second Great Hyrulian Expansion is upon the kingdom. The adventurers guild is recruiting rookies to send on the mission along with some big names. The Lorulians, once enemies of Hyrule, are going to make their own kingdom. Our adventure begins with a single hylian named Damian West. He dreams of becoming a famous explorer and the frontier lands are the most promising prospect available to a rookie. This is his journey to the new land.





	1. Prologue: The Start of a New Adventure!

#  **_Prologue_ **

_ Adventure Awaits! _

  
  
  


His name was Damian. Damian West. He wasn’t someone from a rich family, or anything special. However, he still had dreams. Fairly large ones at that. He had always wanted to become a famous exploration adventurer. However, the Lich incident stifled entries, as many others saw the opportunity he did. Instead, realizing the fruitlessness of trying to enroll during such a turbulent period, he dedicated himself to training. He focused on mobility primarily. He did practice with some weapons, primarily the handgun and knife combo, the standard combination for most exploration hunters. Eventually, the final battle occured and Hyrule was victorious, even if one of its heroes were gravely injured. Then Zelda announced it. The second Great Expansion of Hyrule was officially happening, with the lorulians, dark, twisted counterparts to themselves, along with some kingdom soldiers, coming along. They were accepting all comers and no one would be conscripted. The moment he heard he rushed for his closest recruitment center, only to find that officially, they weren’t recruiting yet. Cursing his luck, he sulked away for the time. Eventually, he did managed to get his name signed on for the Second Expansion. He was over the moon happy. However, he had one obstacle he forgot about. His family. 

 

 

While he didn’t come from a rich family, he came from a family in Hyrule Metropolis, specifically one that lived on Requiem Way, a stretch that was five miles away from the main castle, headed towards the ritzy Hylian Gardens district that took a chunk of the eastern part of the metropolis, and was roughly a mile in diameter anyway. The city was absolutely massive and Requiem Way was quite a small district. His parents had raised him in this small district and he knew they would not be happy with the news. Sure, he was an adult of 18 years old as of last month. However, he still respected them and didn’t like upsetting them. He knocked on the door to their apartment, a fairly kept up place that had quite a bit of space for each room, and held 200 rooms total. The door opened and his elderly father stood there, and smiled. “Ahhhh… welcome home! I thought you were out training to recruit into the royal army” his father, Jules West said, clearly unaware he had actually recruited into the adventurers guild and for the Second Expansion. “Yeahhh…. About that… I didn’t. I joined Adventurer’s Guild… I just… came to let you know…” he replied nervously. His father simply stared at him as though he were staring at a bokoblin that had revealed the secrets of the universe to him. 

 

 

“So… you’ve made your choice eh…? You’re really, really going to try your hand at the expansion?” his father said to him. They were sitting in the living room, a small 10 by 10 room. It had cotton furniture that while a bit lumpy was still nostalgically comfortable. The primary colors used were dull greens, that from a distance were ugly but in the room gave a sort of serene peace to it. He held tea and a plate of tea cakes sat on the coffee table in front of him. He sat in a lounge chair while father laid back in a reclining couch, his own tea in his hand. He nodded in response to his father’s question, saying “Yes. I want to make a name for myself and being part of this event-” but was cut off by his father saying sternly “Name off a single soldier involved with the great expansion. He was silent for a few seconds, then said “Adrian Frigg. 5th division infantry, saved his buddy Ryan during the charge of the lynels of the Bone Tribe”. Jules stared at him, then sighed, took a sip, and said “Fine, fine, I get it… but you know you’ll be nothing more than a footnote right…?”. Damian smiled and said “If I were just another hunter or researcher adventurer. However… i’m going for something much, much better. Potentially more dangerous too”. His father stared at him, then asked “What?”. Damian took a sip of his tea and said “I’m going to be an exploration adventurer. Yeah I’m low rank but if I play my cards right, I could make the discovery of the century!” with a tone of excitement and hope. He saw his father give a gentle smile, as he said “Alright, alright… you have my blessing. I’m sure if I talk to your mother, she’ll give hers too”. Damian smiled and bowed, despite sitting, and said “Thanks, father!”. His father simply nodded, then asked “What style are you going with?”. He responded, taking a bite of a tea cake before responding “Pistol and knife style… still a rookie but I think I could take a small bokoblin tribe… maybe a wolf pack if I tried”. 

 

 

His father shook his head and said “Bad move… the knife is nice but lacks real length. It’s going to hinder you in the long run…. Here. Let me get you something” and stood up, turning to leave. He watched as he finished his tea as his father returned with a sword in hand. It was a little thin and had a bit of rust on it, but it was clearly used once, based on the nicks it had. “This was a sword used by one of our ancestors. He was part of the first expansion. He wasn’t strong so he couldn’t use a normal sword. It served his well enough that he survived the initial onslaught. Take it” his father said, offering it. He did, but had a puzzled look on his face. “If you master light swords rather than knives or daggers, then you can get to the vital organs much easier and from a longer distance than with the smaller weapons. Further, parrying with a light sword is easier” his father said, almost going into a lecture, but restrained himself. He understood and took the advice to heart, standing and saying “Thank you, father!”. His father nodded, saying “Of course, my son… just please… put your life before you dreams”. Damian hesitantly nodded and said “Alright… father. I promise!”. 

 

 

As he left, he pulled his slate out. He had received a text from the guild. It read “To all Adventurers reading this. Your application to join the Second Great Hyrulian Expansion has been approved! 4,000 rupees have been deposited into your account as a down payment. Save it if you wish, but we, the guild, highly recommend upgrading your equipment! Further, the date of departure has been finalized! The expansion will begin in 3 months, 2 days, 4 hours, and 1 minute! Be at the Lurelin City Dock #45 by the appropriated time! Do not worry about boarding passes or tickets, your guild ID will suffice! Good luck and godspeed Adventurers!”. He clicked the link and sighed. A calendar entry was made with a picture location, coordinate location, a marking on his map app, and alert put for the date 30 minutes beforehand. He sighed a bit but was glad for it. He put it away and looked towards the primary city. “4000 rupees” he said to himself, walking deeper into the city “That’s only enough to either improve my arms or my armor“ tapping the hilted 2 foot long thin iron sword without realizing it with his index finger. He sighed and said “Well, I have 3 months so… I’ll just make some calls. Surely, I can find someone who can do both!”. 

 

 

He did find someone. He wasn’t sure he felt comfortable. He found a very, very old goron. The rocks that grew on a goron’s back were basically gone, the goron was in a wheelchair, had shrunk to double the size of a korok, had full dentures, had gone blind, and he was pretty sure that someone grown a new joint in their arms. They lived at the edge of southern Hyrule Metropolis in the extremely poor part of town where the police rarely ventured. Further, the people working for the goron were all sheikah. Not known for being good blacksmiths. He wasn’t about to judge. He only wished he found them sooner. He walked to the elderly goron and said “E-excuse me… I’m Dami-” and was cut off as the goron shouted “ **YE SLACKERS WE GOTS A CUSTOMER! DOUBLE TIME, HE WANTS THE BEST CHAIN, SWORD REPAIRS, ENCHANTMENTS, AND GUN WE CAN PROVIDE ON A BUDGET OF 3000 RUPEES IN A MONTH!** ”. A sheikah walked over, dressed only in bandages to cover her breasts and a fudanshi, and had her hands out. The other sheikahs were dressed similarly, lacking the chest bandages if they were male. He knew why though, he could feel it. It felt like he was in the Gerudo Desert in summer at high noon. He handed over his gun and sword. The Sheikah nodded and turned away, heading inside. Another walked over, saying “Our best smith. She’s mute though. Our payment?”. He nodded and pulled out his slate, opening his bank app, entering the appropriate information, then handed it over saying “Your bank account number is needed… well the businesses”. The sheikah nodded, took the slate, inputted the information and then pressed the apps button to confirm the transfer, then handed it back, using his own slate to confirm and said “Good… transfer complete. We’ll do as we went over in the phone call. Have a nice day sir” and then gave a bow of respect before turning and heading back to begin work. 

 

 

He left himself, returning only to get his items. He was impressed. The gun had been upgraded from the typical 9mm to 10mm handgun. The sword had been repaired and reinforced with steel and enchanted with extra sharpness, magically induced. The chainmail was steel instead of the normal iron and even came a small enchantment to improve the defensive capabilities of it. With this, he felt ready to tackle the challenges ahead. With that concluded he found no reason to stick around in Hyrule Castle Metropolis. He headed to the airport, sending a text to his parents about the fact he was going to depart. He had 2 days after all an a plane ride would take a whole day. His parents texted back “Understood. Remember, we love you kiddo! Remember, come back in one piece!”. He smiled and entered the airport. 

 

Turned out, getting an airplane ticket on short notice wasn’t easy. Especially to Lurelin Village. It increasingly looked like he might not make it. Then the front desk clerk trying to help him said “Wait, we do have one option! A pilot! 500 rupees, will go anywhere, and he’s available no, no prior reservations and no ones booked him!”. He nodded and said “I’ll take it!”. The flight attendant reserved it and then they initiated the transfer process, finishing in seconds. Instead of him using his slate, he simply used a different app to connect to the slate the clerk was using. Most slates were the same size as in ancient times, but there were some specialized ones that were much larger and more complicated. Airports used these slates and had staff trained in their use. He inputted his information and the clerk the businesses then nodded and said “Transfer approved! Here is the printed ticket. Please, enjoy your flight!”. He smiled and nodded, saying “I will ma’am. Have a nice day!” and began to walk away after accepting his ticket. 500 rupees would cover expenses in Lurelin and then he’d be on his way to the new world. He had pulled it off. That was until he arrived at the airport. The plane was a very old model. The two seat kind and the pilot? A goron. Another elderly goron. The goron turned, and while much healthier was still old and said “Ah! Mah Custamah! Come on in!”. He prayed to the goddess Din for protection on his flight right there. 


	2. Chapter 1: The Voyage Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So with a new announcement I need to settle on priorities. So, here it is. My new schedule. No dates, but a general flow to expect. Here are chapter releases for each project i'm working on:
> 
> Chapter of LoZ: tFs  
> Chapter of P6  
> Chapter of LoZ: N  
> Chapter of OT: Ep2  
> The distance between each largely depends on my ability to come up with interesting ideas, though with Loz: tFs I have a small list of how the story will flow as opposed to my last two works. Either way, I hope you're enjoying this. See you in the prologue of my new fanfiction!
> 
> note: I've changed the schedule. I've got a solid idea down for the Noir chapter, but it's going to take a while to write fully. Meanwhile, I really want to write the other fanfiction I planned on and making it last seems... unappealing, to put it mildly. anyway, that slight change and nothing else.

**_Chaper 1_ **

_ Setting Sail _

  
  
  


He sat on his hands and knee’s on the airport strip. Damian took long, laboured breathes. He was having a small panic attack. The pilot that flew them there walked over, saying “Alright. Yer flight’s completed. ‘Ope ye enjoyed yer time fly’in wit me” and proceeded to walk away from the inferno roaring nearby. Damian was having a panic attack because the front of the plane burst into flames as they began their descent and the old goron ignored it completely. He bolted after they landed and stopped in the garage and as he thought the damn thing exploded with fiery vengenance, catching the whole garage on fire. The goron while a little stunned was unharmed. He stood and looked as a fire crew arrived and began to work to put the flames out while an officer walked over, saying “Excuse me sir, we’d like a word”. He prayed his voyage to the new world wasn’t via air travel. He had just now developed a seething hatred for it. He shook his head, saying “Fine, fine but i’m in a hurry. I’ve got to secure lodgings for two days”. The officer just nodded and said “Do you know what caused that?”. He nodded and answered “Yes… an idiot pilots airplane engine or whatever is in the front caught fire while we were descending. I bolted when we landed, he took his sweet time and ignored it”. The police frowned and said “I see… you mentioned two days. Are you here on vacation?”. He shook his head, smirked a bit, and showed his guild ID and said “Sorry boys. Not that low on the totem pole. I’m here to be part of the second expansion”. The police simply stared at him and the ID, shrugged and said “Alright. Have a nice day” and moved on. He blinked as he put it away, watching them. He was shocked they were unimpressed. After a minute, he moved on himself. 

 

 

Unfortunately, the luggage he packed was likely ruined. All he had was the clothes on his back, his sword, and his gun. The chain he spent money on? Likely melted liquid on the plane. Not to mention the clothes he packed. His grandmother’s shawl was the greatest casualty of that fire easily. However, he wasn’t going to let that get him down. He had a great adventure to look forward to. He, with instructions from staff, confirmed passage to Lurelin City and with their help ordered a rental car. 100 rupees for the two days which he was easily able to pay. It was a nice car, almost like a ford, but he knew better. Fords were expensive so it was more likely this was a replication. Acceptable for what he needed, which was just basic travel. From there he went and secured a motel room for two days. It was a rather run-down motel but he’d save money and it only cost him 120 rupees.

 

 

As the third day arrived he received a text. It was just a reminder where to go and how to get there. Strangely, it gave him precise directions from his hotel. He guessed that they were working with a rune mage and that was how, since rune mages were capable of doing things with slates that most people couldn’t. Damian got his things together and headed for the location, making sure to pick up some essentials, like spare clothes, laundry goods, and most important of all, a portable charger. Portable chargers were a recent invention made in the last 200 years. The idea was that the charger would absorb magical energy in the air and turn it into energy and transfer it into the slate it was connected to via a wire that was made for the purpose. Most slates had a port for such a purpose. Since his had been destroyed in the airplane explosion, he had to get a new one, which took the last of his funds. Suitcase in hand, he headed for the docks, making sure to park the rental and let the company he rented from know where he parked it. With that, he walked down the dock towards the dock mentioned in the text. He knew it was the right one as he saw it filled and lots of people gathered. Nearby, a stage with a large display stood, where a desk and chair waited, but empty, and a timer displayed. 3 minutes left before the second expansion would go underway officially. It would be the point of no return. He smiled as he thought about what might await him across the sea. 

 

 

Soon, the timer reached zero and the display showed a room. Specifically, he recognized it as Zelda’s room. He knew because of the desk shown. It was a desk made from wood of the great forest, something the koroks were not known with parting with easily. They did view tree’s as life and the taking of life, for them, was a very, very serious thing. They were, as a species, pacifists and usually only allowed wood to be taken as a sign of trust. In the case of furniture, most of it were parts of a tree formed into the shape needed. TV’s likewise used the rotted parts of tree’s that needed removing anyway or fallen tree’s. In Zelda’s case, a tree was grown specifically to become the desk now shown, another tree becoming the chair. Zelda walked onto frame and sat at the desk in her knight’s garb. A green hat with the royal symbol on the front akin to an officer’s cap with a black brim. A green jacket with buttons and medals signifying her accomplishments which shockingly were a mere 4 total, sleeves folded back, and a white silk undershirt. White gloves were known to be Zelda’s favorite, and yet she asked for leather brown gloves akin to ancient heroes. Further, she wore chain underneath her jacket (Or perhaps it was woven into the underside of the jacket) and it showed as it rest in  front of her white undershirt like a layer of protection. She wore black jeans and brown combat boots. The jacket had a bit of a tailcoat fashion but not as lengthy. She had her hair done up under her cap clearly as it didn’t flow down like it would during casual announcements. The last thing of note were the silver rimmed glasses. Right now, her eyes had an unusual arrangement today. Her left eye was brown while her right eye was black. It was then Zelda spoke. 

 

 

“Hello members of the first fleet. Comprised of Lorulians, a few twili, members of the royal army, a small number of volunteer citizens, and adventurers from the Adventurer’s Guild. I welcome you, to what will go down in the history books as Hyrule’s second great expansion. I’ve gone over the general plan before, but here I will lay out the plan for how this expansion will go. You, the first fleet, are to go and find land, charting your course there. You will be using old techniques, since your Slates will be useless for the first leg of your journey. Assuming the voyage goes well, you will use the wood we’ve managed to collect to build a settlement. If you must, use local resources at the place you make landfall to expand it into a functioning settlement. After that, you will send a ship back to make a report. From there, the ship and its crew will become part of the second fleet, which will be tasked with securing territory. If by chance there are inhabitants, you are to remain peaceful unless it is unviable. I do expect you to defend yourselves, of course, but we must not repeat history. Further, remember the point of the expansion. To give home and kingdom to those that had no say in losing it. Make sure they work for it, but do not needlessly burden them. Heading the first fleet will be Spirit Sage Linkle, Rank 7 Miguel Lanz, Navy Captain Gregory Rail, and Guard Captain Fredrick Frugel of the Lorulians. For the first leg, the lead will be Gregory. After that, each one of the heads have their own concerns and will work together. I ask you all cooperate with them and work to make this voyage, and expansion, a success… and should it fail, I apologize and will ensure your memories are honored” Zelda explained, then stood and bowed. There were a swarm of cheers from the crowd, and he smiled. He wasn’t quite as excited but that was more nervousness of his first real job than the fact that he was about to risk life and limb on something that had and still was guesswork. They still didn’t even know what to expect out at sea. No one had ever sailed out and returned. 

 

 

It was then Gregory announced “With the announcement over, the voyage is on! Begin loading and board the ship!”. Everyone nodded and moved to, some taking pictures on their slate as other heads stepped forward. It was obvious why. Miguel Lanz was slightly famous as an archeological research and exploration adventurer and so he would have doubts about there being no fans of Miguel among the first fleet. However, he was standing next to someone that all of Hyrule knew by now. Damian especially knew her, as he was part of her fanclub forum, aptly named the Linkled Spirits. Linkle, Sage of Spirits. Her past was shrouded in mystery but she showed up during the siege on the city of sages and was noted as traveling with the heroes since. She later showed up when Revan announced her as a sage in training to replace muld. He began to follow her since, captivated by her innocent, yet flirty beauty. She recently became more serious, the flirty nature vanishing, but he still admired her. She had a spirit that exuded freedom, a virtue he and many others were attracted to. Being on a journey with her was something he’d never even dreamed about.

 

 

He helped out of course. He was an adventurer, with a goal to reach the top. It was a long way, but he was going to try. It wasn’t just him though. Each adventurer here had goals and aspirations, which was why they volunteered to be part of the expansion. The expansion was a way to increase their potential fame or a way to get closer to their goal. Further, being part of the guild meant listening to superiors and likely Draven, the guildmaster, had given Miguel official authority to act in his stead as part of the first fleet. Yet, he was down here with them, helping out to prepare for the voyage. Linkle was as well, which did surprise him. Further, poes were active and helping, using their phasing abilities to transport things far easier than any magic could. Within a few hours, their ships were ready and they simply waiting for the rest of the 190 or so ships that had been specially prepared for this voyage. It was an effort done by every race in Hyrule, and even some of the Lorulians. Through hard effort and research, ships with thick hulls that were light enough that they floated well but not so light that a small wave would capsize them. The ships, according to rumor, were further enchanted with more spells to ensure capsizing simply wouldn’t happen. They also put a light cannon on each ship so that in case something that normal cannons couldn’t handle showed up, then they had a means to fight it without risking being lost at sea. 

 

Then the fated time arrived. All the ships were ready. All cargo loaded, all systems checked, and everyone that was joining the first fleet had boarded. The cannons set up, the mages keeping an eye on the enchantments, making sure they stayed active, and ready to reactivate them. Technicians readied special sheikah inventions made for the voyage, Sheikah Poles. The poles acted like miniature towers, and were made specifically to maintain their own network until a method of extending the network over the sea was found. They were made so their slates would still function, just limited. They wouldn’t access things like forums or search engines. It would be maintained primarily for communications, though eventually they might upgrade to an actual tower. That was the future though. For now, the poles could only relay messages, vocal and text and transmit pictures, so that they’d still be able to map out their local environment and send it through the network. They wouldn’t be able to contact hyrule but for now that was fine. “All ships” a stern voice spoke, coming through both slates and the ships speakers “Set sail! The Second Great Hyrulian Expansion begins now!”. With that, he felt the ship lurch forward as the engines activated and pushed the large ship forward. He looked over the docks and saw the rest begin as well. Now was the point of no return. He was now unable to return home or turn back. He’d either make it or end up becoming a statistic. He was determined to be the former. 


	3. Chapter 2: the Voyage, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the lateness. School became busy and while there is a lull that allowed me to finish, i'm about to be busy again. Sorry!

**_Chapter 1_ **

_ The Voyage, Part 1 _

  
  
  


It had been a hard first week. He had been assigned to various manual labour tasks and most of his work involved very specifically maintaining the sails. One might think it’s a simple task, since the inner seas of Hyrule, while turbulent, tended to have predictable wind patterns. After a struggle, you could relax for a good few hours minimum if your only duties were the sails. However on the open sea, a good few days out from the shore, things became more difficult. Weather wasn’t as predictable. The weather could literally sour and clear over the course of an hour. As such, his and his comrades jobs were heavily important and while he had other duties, for the most part his duty to sail adjustment took precedence. Especially after the ship captain, one Goro Sakura, a surly goron whom seemed very much at home on the open sea, basically transferred his duties to another crew member. However, this chaos didn’t come without a benefit. Even on the open sea, a single law pervaded nature and that was that there was always a line of logic. An order to the chaos, if one will. A pattern. As expected, the mages of each ship figured it out and used magic to communicate. They couldn’t use the slate network like normal, but they could use magic to. 

 

 

After the discovery of the weather patterns on the open sea, the captain was able to calm the pandamonium and get things into a pattern on the ship itself. He still worked hard but he was able to take long breaks in between duties, whereas before he had to take a lot of small breaks. His first break was incredible. As they were sailing he saw the most wondrous creature. A fish much larger than any he’d seen, but with an intellect in its eyes as sharp as a sheikahs. However, rather than use it for malicious reasons or to hunt, it seemed to just play with people. No one went in the water, but they were still able to interact. Eventually a mage got curious and with some magic began talking to the dolphins. He relayed the information he got from it.

  
  


Apparently, this part of the sea was the open sea. They didn’t know exactly how it worked beyond the fact that the undercurrents, also known to us as sea currents, were much, much stronger out here. Further, the creatures were quite larger. However, these creatures were perfectly capable of surviving by taking a threat on together. One creature however always scared them. They call it current-changer, but the way they described it, it sounded like something out of a fairy tale. A pulsating sack of flesh with no visible oxygen intake that manipulated the very water around it. The interesting thing was that just one was a danger, but that wasn’t what scared them. A single one was doable. It was when multiple gathered that a problem occurred. Beyond this, the creatures told the mage, whom relayed to the rest of the fleet, that there was even more sea beyond the open sea. A layer that even the dolphins refused to go. Their natural enemies were more plentiful and deep underneath the surface, there were creatures that could easily eat them. However, there were creatures like them in the Deep Sea. Similar to them but much larger and unfortunately not as friendly. Still, this information was useful to the fleet. The dolphin’s got plenty out of the exchange, as this information was extracted over the course of a week. The ships would stop so the crews could rest and during those times, some would brave the ocean and jump in to play with the dolphins. Well, aside from the gorons. They were content to stand by the side and toss some bread or fish down. 

 

 

It wasn’t until the end of the second week that the dolphins departed. They suddenly cried about “Current-Changer” and fled. Then, they discovered what they were scared of. A large pulsating orb rose from the ocean between two ships, sea water swirling around it. It was roughly 3 feet in diameter and a sickly orange color. Everyone stalled for a moment when suddenly, it moved fast as one could blink and grabbed a hylian from the deck of one ship and dragged them into the sea. By the time everyone was prepared to attack, the hylian was below the waves. However, he was still saved. He knew without seeing it that the Zora’s likely attacked and made it let go. They were excellent swimmers after all, and most of the Zora’s from the army specifically were trained for underwater combat as well as land combat. He prepared his gun and waited. He grew a bit worried until it was launched above the surface, it using its water manipulation powers to drag a tentacle of seawater with it. He, and other crew members, aimed and fired their bullets. The creature let out an ungodly howl that made them drop their weapons and cover their ears, him dropping his gun into the sea. It then dropped and sank into the sea below. When his ears recovered and he opened his eyes, he looked to his left and saw his gun. “Here” the Zora, clad in zoran naval gear said “Your gun. You dropped it and I retrieved it”. He slowly nodded, grabbing it and standing, saying in an unintentionally low voice “Th-thanks. Sorry, that scream just hurt my ears”. The Zora nodded, saying “Yeah. It screamed underwater too…. Hurt then as well. If you’ll excuse me, I need to report to the captain” and then turned and left. He sighed and stood, looking around. 

 

 

He was relieved from sail duty and instead had to check inventory. Basically, he was to catalogue all the cargo aboard and compare it to the last inventory check to ensure everything was accounted for, beyond expected losses, like rations for food and usage of certain resources. In this case, just rations and ammo. It was a long and laborious task, but it was an important one. They had a finite amount of supplies and at this point getting more supplies was impossible since they had no mages with mastery over teleportation magic. Thus he was perturbed when he discovered their medicinal supplies were down. There was one first aid kit unaccounted for. He turned to a lorulian that was helping him and asked “Hey… are you aware of anyone taking a first aid kit and not logging it?”. The lorulian looked at him and while he almost flinched, he kept calm and kept a neutral expression. The lorulian nodded and said “Come to think of it, I recall one of the zora’s mentioning another warrior from another ship complaining about a lack of treatment… all I know though”. He sighed and said “Alright…” and wrote that it was simply missing. Less because he was being a good person and more because making an accusation on hearsay was bound to just cause trouble, the last thing he needed. Thankfully, it was his last day on this job, as they were simply going through the medical supplies, the thing saved for last. By the end of the day, he headed for the captain's cabin and knocked. “Come in” a gruff voice said. He walked in and looked at the captain. 

 

 

Goro looked up to him, putting his quill pen into the nearby inkwell. A magic barrier covered the top and he said “Ah. The man I sent on inventory with the others. Come in, come in. I assume you’ve finished?”. He nodded and said “Yes. I have…. Only thing of note is that we seem to be going through our supply of bait faster than anticipated and so may want to consider finding a means to make more…… and then there seems to be a first aid kit unaccounted for”. Goro stopped and looked at him, stared, and then asked “What do you mean?”. “I counted the amount of first aid kits we have, how many we’ve used or given out… and we are short one first aid kit” he answered “I triple checked sir”. Goro leaned back in his seat and stroked his beard. “This means someone has taken and used one without permission… or worse, threw it overboard” Goro said “The other logs. Anything funny?”. He shook his head and Goro sighed, saying “Well good job. Your next assignment will be given in a few days. Enjoy the break, barring emergencies”. He nodded, gave a bow of respect, and turned to leave. It was then goro said “Actually, if you’re interested, I have another assignment for you”. He stopped and turned, silent for a few moments before asking “That would be…?”. Goro sternly said “Find the thief. I’ll assign two others to help you. You’re to take point in the investigation. Let no one else know. You are to start after your assigned rest”. He considered it, nodded, and said “Yes sir. I will do just that” and left to do just that, rest. 

 

 

He began with the zora’s. He hadn’t told Goro so that there could be relative peace but now he had to stir up trouble. If he was going to do that, he was going to go to what he suspected was the source. The zora, warriors specifically, usually hung around the cannons around noon. It was about noon now, so when he came out on deck he saw them standing there, each eating their daily lunch ration and talking. His approach caught the eye of one, who asked loudly “Excuse me. Can we help you?”. He nodded and said “Yes… I was doing inventory recently and noticed a missing first aid kit… no one logged it as taken or assigned for temporary use” and looked at each as he continued “I heard that the zora warriors had been complaining about not being assigned serious enough treatment. Care to speculate on what this could mean?”. The zora looked at each other, laughed and began talking. “Well… we did say some things, but most of it was talking about how spineless the other ships were” the blue one said. “Yeah…. Although I did hear one interesting rumor. Rumor has it that another ships… ‘Tokay’ they’re called? Wanted to get their hands on some high-class stuff. Apparently thought a cannon was magical” the orange colored one said, laughing at the end with the others. The green one said “Yeah… although I hear we have a stowaway. Probably the one who took it!”. He then said “A stowaway? We have one?”. The zora’s didn’t exactly go pale but looked shocked he didn’t know, turning to him. The blue one said “Wait, you didn’t know? It’s been a rumor on the ship for a week. Foods been vanishing”. He hadn’t heard this at all, but then again he never did confer with the people he did inventory with beyond assigning what he was to inventory. He nodded and said “Sorry to waste your ti- no, you proved helpful. I may have found the culprit thanks to you… what are your names?”. The zora looked at each other, then him, and the green one stood saying “I’m Makao, that’s Len, and he’s Greiv. Captain knows our last names. Thanks for talking to us before throwing accusations around… what’s your name?”. He smirked and said “Damian West, Exploration Adventurer” and walked away. 

 

 

He didn’t report this new information to Goro. Fact was, if they had found the stowaway, it’d have been widely talked about. The fact it was merely rumor meant that the stowaway was skilled at hiding and stealing. Likely, they were a mercenary. Simply reporting would just get Goro to have security sweep, an action that would give the stowaway plenty of time to escape the sweep. Instead he decided to do one of his own. He simply needed to know where the rumors sprang from. Thankfully, he knew exactly who to go to for just such a thing. A subrosian, by the name of Carmichael. Carmichael was a weird person apparently, even among subrosians, who by most other races, even the ones that came from the liches forces, were a weird race, Carmichael was weird. However, he was useful in that everything he heard and saw he retained and could recall with perfect clarity. Further, the subrosian couldn’t tell a lie. The concept of a lie escaped him. Oath magic was used to try to see if he was being honest in his misunderstanding of how a lie worked or even what it was and Carmichael simply could not fathom or perform a lie. 

 

 

Of course, finding Carmichael was an easy task. The subrosian weirdo could always be found in the most isolated corner. At this moment, that would be the barracks. He entered and could see movement instantly. The few sailors whom were taking a nap for their lunch breaks, likely having wolfed it down only seconds before. Except for one who’s black, smoky hand, grabbed at their blue robe and pulled it into their hammock. He smiled and walked over slowly, stopping right before and looked into the hammock. Carmichael sat there, staring at him with the two oval orbs of raw energy that served as eyes floated amongst a swirling mass of black mist that shaped a humanoid figure inside the robe. It swirled aimlessly suddenly and Carmichael said, sourcelessly, “A-ah! D-... Damian! How are you today?” with a tone that showed Carmichael was nervous. Not surprising, since subrosians were nervous of non-subrosians by nature. However he had a job to do. “I’m good. Finished inventory. Found a missing first aid kit. Captain told me to look into it…. So… I am” he answered “After talking with the Zora’s, I heard we had a stowaway…. And knew exactly who to come to”. Carmichael relaxed a bit, and said “Well… sure. I know where he holes up… easy to get to too. Just lots of blind spots so that’s why no one’s caught him, only glimpsed”. He nodded and said “I see… and where would that be?”. 

 

 

He should have known. There was only one place with a lot of nooks and crannies where a small being could hide and successfully escape sight. The pantry. Theirs was a long corridor with several shelves. Like aisles in a grocery store really. Here, a stowaway could easily hide among the shelves and bags, or even in bags. Further, the shelves were enchanted to keep items on them fresh, meaning only a mild temperature needed to be maintained in order to prevent other factors from eroding food. He had his work cut out for him, and so, he enlisted one of the previous zora’s for help. Len specifically. “I’ll stand by the door and grab the stowaway as he runs. That’s my job right?” Len asked. He nodded and said “Yeah and whether you grab him or I do, you get half of my rations… he escapes and well… deals on but until he’s caught”. He walked into the pantry, looking down each aisle slowly. He was on the lookout for something out of place on the shelves while pretending to look for the stowaway in them. It was a test, of sorts. If it was a child, the child would get bold and comfortable. An adult would tense, and see his trick for what it was. He had done this trick on his younger siblings when he had to help his parents out in getting them under control and it always worked. It was actually a common tactic in finding kids that were good at hiding. Even the bright ones.    
  
  


 

However, no reaction. This told him it was likely an adult he was dealing with. He was a bit perturbed though. It eliminated gorons, zora, tokay, and moblins. They were heavy creatures, only light enough to climb and not break the shelves when children. However, he could not find any oddities, meaning that the one hiding was skilled at it. This eliminated the hylians, lorulians, goriya, and subrosians. This left a gerudo, sheikah, or deku. He sighed and said “Well then… guess I have to turn this place upside down” and started to go through bags. He finished that aisle and moved to the next, to his right specifically. He was checking backs from the left side of the room to the right side, close to where the door out was. As he got halfway through, he heard a rustle and then footsteps. He stood and took off, moving fast. “Stop!” he heard Len shout, then heard struggling. He rounded the corner and cursed his luck. It was a gerudan. Not just a gerudan adult, but a teenager. The reason they were dangerous? Usually gerudan teenagers were skilled with illusion magic, had skill in thievery aspects like sneaking and pickpocketing, and did not know the word restraint. Meaning that the kids effective range was likely the entire ship. Len at the moment had the kid restrained, pinned to a wall and their arms behind them. However, pushed too far, the kid would use magic. “Cover his mouth!” He shouted. Len nodded and quickly did that as the teen inhaled, using another hand to keep the kids arm restrained. He sighed and walked over to the door, yelling out “Get the captain! We have a stowaway!”. He looked at the kid and sighed in the relief. At that moment, the kid had surrendered. They weren’t struggling and their eyes held contempt. “Keep her mouth covered Len… she uses Illusion magic and she’ll likely get away for the rest of the voyage”. Len only nodded. It was then he heard the booming footsteps of captain Goro head for them. He suddenly felt sorry for the teen. 

 

 

Goro whispered something and suddenly appeared by Len, saying “Let ‘er go Len. I’ll handle ‘er from here”. Len nodded and did so. “Van-” the teen began, but a tap from Goro on her shoulder caused her to scream and fall back. “Stowaways normally are thrown overboard when near shore or worked until they return to port… we won’t be though” Goro said, stroking his beard “Here’s the deal. Work like the crew does, and I’ll let you join. Don’t, and your entire trip will be spent guarded by our own mages. What’ll it be?”. The teen, Len, and himself stared in shock. The teen nodded and asked “Why would you be so kind…?”. Goro laughed heartily and said “Kind…? Nay. I am being practical. It’s far less effort to integrate you into the crew than it is ta chain you. Now stand and follow me so we can get you registered into the army as an intern” and turned. He whispered “Blink” and appeared outside the pantry, heading towards above deck. The teen glared at them, but followed. He sighed and Len said “He’s not wrong. An extra hand is far more useful than a prisoner”. He nodded and said “Well, it means i’ve earned a few days of rest… and you’ve earned half of my rations for the next week”. Len smiled big and said “Well, thank you Damian. Pleasure doing business with you!”. 


	4. Chapter 3: The Voyage, Part 2

**_Chapter 3_ **

_ The Voyage, Part 2 _

  
  
  


He missed the dolphins. They were nice and playful creatures. Being in what the local wildlife dubbed the ‘Deep Sea’, things had changed. The wildlife was less friendly, with the exception of Orca’s. They were similar to dolphins, with two major differences. First, the Orca’s were more powerful than dolphin’s far and away and knew this. Second, Orca’s were smarter and more mature than dolphin’s. Whereas the Dolphin’s were like that of a small child, Orca’s were more like well-behaved pre-teens. This allowed our fleet to extract more information about the ocean from them. We learned that the deep sea, at the surface, was not as dangerous as the dolphins made it sound. It was deep down where the terrors lied. Even they never went there, aside from one every now and again so that predators wouldn’t follow the pod. However, there were still dangers and terrors to be aware of. Three animals besides them ruled the surface of the Deep Sea. 

 

 

First the Megadons, large creatures like them but with craggy, hard skin that could sheer flesh off at a touch, fins that could cut, teeth that can pierce and rend, and an aggression and ferocity not known to normal animals. They were larger than even the Orca’s, apparently. Lucky for the Orca’s, Megadons were not pack creatures and as such the Orca’s could fend them off. Of course, a member or two was lost, but it was better than being separated and devoured on by the other creatures of the Deep Sea. The second creature we were warned about were they referred to as Long Sharks. Long creatures that lived deep below and at times would rise from the depths at blinding speed and snatch one of them, and then drag them below. So fast, that the only moment of stillness it showed was the moment it grabbed an Orca and turned around to go under. The oldest Orca of the pod gave an accurate description. Covered in the blackness of the depths, with large, bulbous yet lifeless eyes, with silver fangs longer than any they had seen, and fins straight out of their nightmares. There was no defense against it save it only took one at a time and never two and it apparently at slow enough to give them time to escape. However, the most terrifying creature the Orca’s described had them concerned. The light cannons could handle Megadons and with a net distribution of their seer mages, they could avoid the Long Sharks, or worst case scenario out maneuver and fight them. However, the next creature was something they weren’t sure they could handle. They called it the ‘Sea Giant’. It was a massive colony of ‘Current-Changers’ that roamed the deep sea in search of prey. It had utter control of it’s aquatic environment and no creature could fight it, as far as the Orca’s knew. According to them, the Sea Giant was the only of its kind, but it was so impossibly dangerous that this fact did little to assure pods when the signs show. The signs of the Sea Giant approaching? First, the sea would grow choppy and wild despite no clouds. It would then grow calm, but it would become overcast. The sea would calm further as the storm worsened….. Until it arrived and the storm reached a fever pitch, but the sea moved none. In that moment, if it was not already visible, it was right upon you. 

 

 

This information came through over the course of a week. The Orca’s, while mature and knowledgeable, still enjoyed playing. So the Zora’s and Tokay had to occupy them. Eventually however… something happened, causing them to depart. A Long Shark attacked. Specifically, the ship Damian was a crew member of. He experienced part of it first hand. The tooth cleanly cut through his pants, almost relieving him of a very essential part of him. It happened so fast he didn’t even have time to react until he felt the wind in his pants. When he did, he reacted violently,  kicking the tooth hard. Enough that it yowled. Loud, sharp, and painful. In fact, his ears bled. Damian yelled at one of the nearby crewmans to run up and tell the warriors about it, just as the entire ship shuddered. 

  
  


He’d later hear about what happened and read the reports on it first hand, since the first mate had died in the event and he’d effectively replaced him until Goro could find a proper replacement. Goro preferred a Zora to be his first mate to cover his shortcomings when it came to the sea. The Zora and Tokay warriors went into action, diving below the ship. According to their reports, the damn thing was massive, though not in the width category. According to them, the damn thing was so long that it disappeared at first into the depths of the sea. After they attacked, it yowled some more, trying to pull the boat under. After a few minutes of struggling, it let go. By now, the Orca’s had fled. They stalled a bit seeing us fight it, but didn’t chance it and were out of sight eventually. The Long Shark after letting go of the ship turned on the zora. It instantly slashed a dozen, making them retreat, and according to the casualty report, two were swallowed by it. After a solid 4 minutes of fighting, the Long Shark finally retreated to the depths giving them a full accounting of its true length. It was already the width of two row boats and nearly perfectly circular. However, it was very, very long. 300 feet was the estimated length. After it considered for a few moments, it darted back into the depths. As for its speed, the Zora estimated it was moving as fast as a whip in an experts hand, just no expert was handling it. Just reading about it was terrifying for Damian. 

 

 

For the next few weeks, all was… well. The loss of crew members hurt, but other ships helped out and sent their own. Further, a few Zora Seer came aboard, shared from boats 4, 10, and 34, and began their job. Making sure to alarm the crew of an impending Long Shark attack and countermeasures. They worked on shifts, one for each part of the day (One would take a morning to mid-afternoon shift, another from then to a few hours before midnight, and then another from then to early morning). He worked and pulled his weight, and made some more friends. Specifically, he befriended the morning shift seer Lasita Carliel, the Zora warrior Len Saraa, and Carmichael. It was an interesting couple of weeks for Damian. 

 

 

It started the morning after. He did have spare pants but the ship medical team wanted to check him to make sure. Of course, nothing came of it so he was discharged the next day. However, it was very early and while he considered using the free day to sleep, he decided instead to catch the sunrise. That was when he passed the graveyard shift seer, who later he would learn was named Haria Vars. When he arrived on deck, he saw the seer sitting 30 feet away from him. He moved to the railing and watched the other ships as the faintest bit of sunlight touched the horizons sky. He ignored Lasita at first but eventually grew curious as the crystal ball she had taken out and placed on a velvet cushion began to glow. He walked over and asked her plainly “So. What are you up to?”. Lasita barely regarded him, simply stating “I’m casting ‘Dangersense’ with some variables”. Damian stared a bit, looking to the ocean. “I see… so you’re the seer they were talking about. What’s your name?” he asked, curious. He craned his neck to watch the sunrise. It was 5 minutes away. “Lasita… Lasita Carliel. Why do you care?” the Zoran seer asked, a bit coldly. Damian chuckled and simply said “Cause. It’s nice to meet new people. I’m Damian West… I’m a rookie explorer adventurer. I am to become famous because of discoveries I make in the new world….. What about you?”. Lasita paused. She was silent even as the sunrise began, the sky taking on many shades of purple and on the horizon pink. “Have you… ever seen the sunrise?” he asked “It’s beautiful to me… seeing it means i’ve made it another day”. Lasita gave a small laugh and said “That’s… optimistic”. After a few more moments of sunrise, the sun began to peak over the horizon. Lasita finally said “I came out of duty officially, being part of the Zora Navy… but… honestly? It sounded fun”. Damian turned to watch the sun and asked sincerely “Is that such a bad reason?”. From that conversation, his friendship only grew. He learned more about seer magic and even learned a few basic spells, and he taught her a few tricks about detecting things if she was able to use seer magic to visually inspect distant objects. 

 

 

Len was a different experience. He had already started being familiar with him when he enlisted him to help him nab the stowaway. He upheld his end and gave Len half his rations when he got them. However, Len turned out to be a nice guy and let him keep the morning rations and only accepted half of what he offered at dinner. During these times, they’d talk about things. Damian shared his even after the deal expired. One particular night, him and Damian were sitting on deck using some small crates as chairs and watching the sea pass by as they sailed. They also watched the ships. This particular day, their conversation was different. “Hey… Len, real question. What’s underwater like for you?” he asked. Len looked at him, a bit puzzled, and replied “Well… normal for me. Though I’m guessing that’s not the answer you want”. Damian nodded and he chuckled and said, “Well… then I can only compare it to being on land. It’s quite a different experience… otherworldly really. I’m surrounded by shades of blue and I’ve got freedom of movement I just don’t have up here. Sound travels great if you know how sound waves work”. Len ate some more of his rations and said “It really is a great experience that you just can’t get anywhere else”. He turned to Damian and said “Of course that’s out here. From there it just depends where. Each place is different… best spot on the shore of Hyrule? This coral reef I found a few dozen miles out from shore. Absolutely vivid colors”. Damian smiled and said “Wow… amazing. I’ve always wondered what it was like down there…. Can’t find out myself cause the ships move fast and only Zora and Tokay have the speed to catch up and reboard”. Len smiled and said “While true…. I can still give you a few swimming pointers… you’re an exploration adventurer right?”. Damian nodded and asked “What about you? I notice you’re not navy. At least… anymore”. Len smiled and said “Right on… though I’m a combat adventurer. Decided navy life wasn’t for me”. From there, Len and Damian shared more dinners and meals together. 

 

 

Then there was Carmichael. One of the ship’s mages, a quality enchanter, and apparently in charge of inventory because of his memory abilities. It gave him more responsibility but it meant less and less time. Damian for his part noticed this and helped out more. Why? It may have been he viewed Carmichael favorably, or maybe he pitied him. Maybe he respected Carmichael, or maybe he felt he owed Carmichael for revealing the location of the stowaway. Regardless, he helped with inventory whenever he noticed Carmichael taking it, which was every other day. During one such inventory, a peculiar conversation arose. “Hey Damian” Carmichael said, with a sort of questioning tone, as if asking if he had a minute. “Yeah?” he asked, wondering what Carmichael was wondering about. “What… was Hyrule like?” he asked. Damian paused, turning to Carmichael who was looking back at him. “Well… depends on new or old. Both are really different. New is about 2.5 times the size of Old”. Carmichael was silent as Damian continued, saying “But the one consistent feature of Hyrule? It has life. Everywhere you go, even the harsh desert, you can tell something lives there”. He spoke honestly but did mention “Though that’s my view… never actually traveled much to be honest”. Carmichael hummed as he worked and answered “That’s fine. I just wanted a different perspective… only place I've ever known was darkness… well.. I did see some of what is called old Hyrule from a high perspective… when the Lich floated the castle”. Damian’s eyes widened and he turned, asking “You were really there?”. Carmichael nodded, saying “Yeah… I was the castle enchanter. Surrendered the moment soldiers showed up…. They evacuated me before the big malice explosion”. Damian chuckled and said “Wow… pretty high honor. Guessing you’re one of the ships maintainers then?”. Carmichael nodded and said “Yeah. It’s a nice job. Lets me stay down here and not out in the sun”. Damian hesitated a bit and then said “Hey. Carmichael? You’re a pretty cool guy”. Carmichael chuckled and said “I’m actually a girl. I understand however why you would mistake me for one… we’re kinda formless huh?”. Damian stopped and turned, staring at Carmichael who just laughed and continued working. He definitely had weird friends. 

 

 

He spent the next few weeks visiting and enjoying time with his friends between breaks in works for meals. He usually spent lunch with Carmichael, breakfast with Lasita, and dinner with Len. It was always enjoyable and sometimes he’d even work with them (messenger for Lasita, guard duty with Len, and taking inventory with Carmichael). Day after day, he worked on that ship. By the end of the few weeks, a few months had passed. They had gone at speeds, according to goro, around 25 mph give or take a particular day. As a result, they had traveled around 30,000 miles. An incredible distance. Larger than all of Hyrule west to east. During this time, the ships each had a simple to understand system that even the deku understood. The captain would assign weekly duties (or daily if need be) to each crew member, the first mate would ensure they were done, and the crew members would perform said duties. For duties that require specialist training, like ship steering and navigation, the captain would be capable of partially taking on the task, or if he had them, they would ration the workers shifts and let them rest otherwise. However, at the end of those few weeks, things became disturbing. There were no clouds in the sky. Yet, the sea churned. Violently. Everyone on Damian’s ship knew what it meant, remembering the Orca’s warnings. They heard from other ships, who’s seer’s warned of danger. Everyone knew it. They no longer had to worry about Long Sharks. They had a much bigger concern. The Sea Giant was approaching. 

 

 

All the ships rushed to prepare for its arrival. He caught glimpses and everyone was scrambling. They had weathered a few storms but not a storm and a sea monster. They used the sheikah network and the seers ‘Long Sight’ magic to try and calculate how long they had. They made plans and prepared their strongest weapons; the Light Cannons. They prepared the Zora Warriors with their strongest enchanted gear and their Tokay warriors. Mages stood on standby for orders. The rest of them? Prove covering fire. Gunfire was basically worthless but it wasn’t totally and could potentially distract the creature. This was the plan they came up with to deal with  the sea monster. Of course, they weren’t just using normal bullets, but enchanted ones. Ice and lightning specifically. With everything prepared and everyone armed and ready, they waited as the storm intensified and the sea grew calmer. Experiencing it, it was absolutely strange. Compared to their trip to this point, the sea had followed a basic rule; the worse a storm was, the more violent the sea became. Thanks to the enchanters, the ships survived and the wood they brought was used to make repairs during or after. This careful preparation and planning allowed the ships to take some punishment and not risk sinking. However this was totally unusual. It did the exact opposite of what the sea normally did. The less storm there was, the more violent the sea was, and the worse the storm was the more calm the sea became. Even Goro was uneased. Then, it came. 

 

 

The seers had made one miscalculation. They had said the colony of ‘Current-Changers’ that made up the ‘Sea Giant’ was currently compacted into a spherical shape wandering the ocean. It was 1000 feet in diameter according to them. However, when they saw it on the horizon, it was not that big. It was far, far worse. It was at least a mile in diameter. It approached not at all slowly. It was moving roughly the same speed as them but dramatically slowed down a few minutes after appearing on the horizon. The seer on duty, Am Renama cried out “It knows we’re here! It’s submerging beyond my sight!”. Goro, whom had taken the helm and steered the ship himself, said aloud “Don’t panic! Am! The moment it re-enters your ‘Long Sight’ spell, tell us where it’s coming from! Cannoneers, prepare the light cannons, don’t bother with the regular ones!”. Everyone nodded as he continued “It’s coming so prepare! Also, communications, continue contact with the-” but was cut off as the communications officer on deck said to him “Sir, we’ve lost contact! The lightning from the storm is throwing the network off!”. Goro audibly growled and said “Keep trying! We need to make sure we can react if it goes for one of them!”. It was then Am yelled “It’s coming! 400 feet from the portside!”. Goro nodded and said “Cannoners, aim those cannons for below the ship! Mages and gunners, get ready to shoot when it rises! Zora and Tokay warriors, when the light cannons are fired, it will take exactly two minutes to recharge them! Go in and do some damage, then retreat and we’ll repeat until it’s either dead or retreating! Am! Get to work on precognitioning its movements! Go, go, go!”. However, it wasn’t enough. 

 

 

Goro had ordered they all wear lines. It was to prevent people from going overboard, and they each had a spell that would cut the line if needed. Goro himself relinquished the wheel and went to the captain's cabin. The unfortunate fact was capsizing meant death for him, being a goron. He’d sink to the bottom. Same for others. He had a teleport spell, but the range was dreadfully short. Further, he had the pride of a captain, meaning he’d be the last one off. Even so, in the cabin Goro could focus more on delegation, an important task, especially in the heat of battle. That was when the time came. Am gave the signal, saying “Aim the cannons downwards at 33 degrees, then fire! The mass is right between the two ships five ships down, but its large enough those shots will hit and pierce it!”. The cannoneers in charge of firing immediately flipped the cannons on and the light cannons fired a scorching ray of pure light down into the water. It was very dark, with storm clouds and heavy, heavy rain obscuring the sun near completely. However, the flashes of lightning and the blasts from the fleets light cannons illuminated everything perfectly. They saw the beams travel beyond the mass of Current-Changers though, into the depths. They still did not see the ocean floor, but they did glimpse some creatures. Large octoroks the size of ships, large worm-like creatures with rows of teeth. These were the tame ones sighted. There were a few Long Sharks but they did not ascend. All these creatures fled. Both the light, and the being they just shot up.

 

 

Yet, even as this occurred, it almost seemed like it experienced no significant loss. No, Damian realized, holding his pistol tightly. It was far, far worse than that. The creature was shifting shape. It went from a mass of compacted Current-Changers and was rising above the surface. The sea swelled where it did and rose with it. It rose between 4 ships. One on its left, two on its right, and one behind. The one behind diverted to move around. The other two slid down it and weathered the rising. The one closest, the one on the left, however capsized. It might’ve escaped had it been going faster, but it went 40 feet into the air before it gravity made it fall to the left, away from the thing and being tilted it naturally fell on that side. Other ships deployed methods to save as many crew members, though that ships gorons were sadly lost to the sea. The creature did not relent though. It rose and rose and rose, forming a half-mile tall tower of sheer water and Current-Changers. It then spread into 4 tentacle-like appendages at the top, each one forming something like an umbrella. The being extended only as many current-changers as needed, though why it did this Damian wasn’t sure of… until he recalled something. Some animals adapted special organs to detect their surroundings in ways different from other animals. Bats for example used something called echolocation to navigate the night skies and hunt. “It’s trying to figure us you! That’s what those are!” he exclaimed. Am shouted “It is! In 2 minutes, it’s going to change those tentacles into attack forms! Destroy them, quick!”. He didn’t need to be told twice. Him, and all the other sailors, aimed up and fired. By now, the Zora and Tokay warriors had begun their assault on the main body. The ships continued to sail, but by now the Sea Giant had started to follow. 

 

 

The bullets did nothing to the tentacles though. These things bled and yet the water remained crystal clear. Finally, a cannoneer said “Light cannons ready!”. Am nodded and said “Turn 20 degree’s right cannons 1 and 3, cannon two turn 10 degrees, aim up 90 degrees, and fire!”. The cannoneers followed Am’s instructions and fired. The beams of light sailed into the air in a straight line and cut a few of the tentacle protrusions off, by evaporating the connecting water. At first, they cheered. However, despair would soon overtake them. The sea giant changed form again. It sent out a few hordes of current-changers. Whether because they had cut off sense their side of the fleet or perhaps because it considered them more dangerous, it chose to attack the side opposite of them. A flurry of tentacles shot out, grabbing some ships and with monstrous force forced them under. Thanks to the lightning, he saw exactly what it did. It pulled those ships into the mass of current-changers. That was when the sea giant ceased its pursuit of the fleet.    
  
  


 

After the storm had subsided fully, Goro came out and tried the network. He got on and went back into his cabin. However, Damian didn’t need the captain to know how things went. He walked over to Len and offered a hand as Len climbed the side of the ship. He pulled him aboard and asked “You alright man?”. Len nodded and said “Yeah ... Didn’t engage much. Realized after the first minute that fighting it was pointless… I retreated after it dragged those ships under”. “You saw that?” Damian asked, worried now. Len nodded and stood, saying “Yeah… we lost six ships to that thing… all in an instant….”. They went quiet for several minutes. Goro’s voice boomed as he spoke “Alright. We’ve weathered the storm… we’ve confirmed. It’s moving away. We continue sailing, and hope we do not come across it… back to regular duties!”. He stood to do so, sighing and saying “Hey… if you need some company later… I'm available. Len nodded and said “I’m fine… but thanks... “ and Len sighed, saying “I knew and I think everyone knew coming out… not all of us were gonna make it. We were gonna lose members…. Still… 7 ships is rough”. Damian nodded, sighing and saying “Yeah… hopefully we’re out of this place soon”. Len nodded in agreement. 

 

 

From there the journey went well. They failed to encounter anymore intelligent creatures, but eventually did see creatures matching those found in the Open Sea. This meant they were nearing land. A month later, they saw it in the distance. Land. As it came into view, they could see features, and as they slowed to begin landing, they got to see the new land in its full splendor. A series of plains with a massive monument that had to be at least a mile tall directly in the center of the plains on top of a mountain. On the left side, or what they estimated to be the northern end, they could see a snowy forest on top of a large cliff that dipped into some sort of rocklands that went to a large, curved icicle and then a mountain range. The southern side of the island had hills but the far end had more monuments. However, the most chilling yet awing feature was the tower. The center of the new land had a somewhat large mountain, larger than the one in the plains. On that mountain was a tower. It was hard to estimate the width but it stretched upwards into the sky, vanishing from sight. It was the afternoon when they had arrived. Goro turned, asking “Am. How high is that tower?”. Am stared at it, concentrating. The ship was silent for several minutes. Am sighed and shook his head, saying “I need to get closer… but… at minimum 40 miles tall”. No one was surprised. It disappeared into the clouds after all. Still, the number ‘40 miles’ was a bit hard for them to swallow. Goro sighed and said “Well… regardless… we’ve arrived. Men! Prepare the landing parties! Gentleman! We’ve made it!”. Damian smiled, standing between Len and Lasita, and in front of Carmichael. They had made it to the new land. 


	5. Chapter 4: The New Lands

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to do a small write-up on the new races. You know the traditional ones by the last fanfic (Remembrance) introduced the dark races to Hyrule. Easier to do a full doc instead of small blurbs in a notes section. I'll add it as an extra chapter. For now, enjoy the chapter that introduces the New Land!

**_Chapter 4_ **

_ The New Lands _

  
  
  


The first fleet now had multiple leaders. Since they had successfully crossed the sea to this new land, the operation was in its second phase. Now the other leaders that had came became part of a sort of council. Linkle the Sage of Spirits, Miguel Lanz Adventurers Guild Rank 7 as a Research Adventurers, Hyrulian Royal Army Navy Captain Gregory Rail, and Lorulian Captain of the Guard Fredrick Frugel were the current committee members. They would work together to raise the settlement and make it functional before sending a boat back to give directions to the new land. Eventually, the results were announced to the fleet. In charge of settlement construction and defense was Fredrick, in charge of Exploration when the committee authorized it was Linkle, in charge of naval matters was Gregory, and MIguel would head the research department. This would be the leaders Damian would take orders from for the duration of his stay, until the arrival of the second, third, and other fleets that arrived. 

 

 

Damian was happy that they had finally arrived at the New Land. What would become the distant land of the Lorulians as they had come to call them, largely because they called themselves that. They had joined in hopes of forming their own kingdom here. Of course, Damian didn’t care much for that. He cared about getting out there and discovering things. Making a name for himself. However, this was delayed, to his dismay. The second phase of the operation began. Now instead of simply Gregory being head of the pack, now the leaders cooperated with one another. This meant that operations for the most part would be delayed while construction of a settlement began. They began with defensive walls. For this, they used vertical-standing spiked logs that were flanked on both sides by 2-inch thick steel plates. Gorons handled most of the welding and placement, since they had insane strength, but others handled directing. He was one such person. However, it was a fitting job. The next job he was given was harder. Roofing. He had to sit on the tops of buildings and nail slabs of roofing tiles to it. The problem? Some days it would begin raining suddenly. This meant the job was much more dangerous. After all, he had to keep his balance on a slanted, slippery surface with just his legs and hold nails and nail them in with both his arms. Thankfully, he’d be allowed to break during a rainstorm once the one in charge of construction at that time noticed. Even though, the weather patterns worried him. 

 

 

The first thing to go up were the Portable Sheikah towers. They were because they could now fulfill their true functions. The towers would use magic to scan the local area and give them that information. Their range was nowhere near that of an actual sheikah tower, being only a few miles, but they were still valuable. Further, this only was horizontal range. The towers could use magic to scan the local atmosphere and use that information to give weather forecasts and temperature readings. However, they weren’t as useful as predicted. Simply put, the weather forecast was always wrong. Rainstorms would arrive earlier than expected, lightning would come later than expected. Simply put, the weather forecast functions were completely off. The research divisions first job began. They first tried recalibrating the towers, thinking they had been thrown off by the first phase of the operation even though they thought the forecast functions had been shut off. However, when that proved to only be marginally better, they then researched the problem. A week and a building later, they had somewhat of an answer. The atmosphere of the new lands was very different from Hyrule. Whereas in Hyrule the weather was determined by multiple factors, like the placement of the sun, the movement of clouds, and the region… the New Lands operated under different rules. The only thing they hammered down was that it changed based on the position of a mass of energy they sensed pass over them towards the ocean during one rainstorm. If the working theory was true, this meant that storms followed and were controlled by something in the sky, meaning the towers were completely useless. They needed a proper Sheikah tower. Making one would be difficult. 

 

 

However, they had bigger problems. Due to the strange storms, building a barracks was vital. The tents they used for shelter at night were good, but they offered very little protection against lightning strikes. Even enchanted, a direct hit would spell doom for the inhabitants. The first building they made weren’t barracks either. It had been a medical facility. It was five stories tall and commanded a massive space. It was very similar to modern hospitals, simply using enchanted wood instead of drywall, concrete, and a number of other assorted materials. It was made first because the prevalent thought was that having a central station to treat people was more important than barracks. However, the revelations regarding the weather changed that. Thus they worked on the barracks next. A series of buildings made to house the members of the first fleet. The committee decided to kill two birds with one stone, having their barracks be combined with a building that would’ve been used for meetings. Funny enough, Damian’s job was, while simple, complex. He was in charge of working with others to build furniture for the barracks and medical center. His job of roofing was given to Rito’s and Deku Scrubs. Rito’s could ejects from the roof or turn a fall into a glide while Deku Scrubs could magnetize themselves to wood instantly and prevent falls. 

 

 

The construction of the barracks took almost an entire month. Everyone was focused on completing the settlement to move on. However, after finishing the furniture and barracks, a whole 2 months after arriving, a new problem arose. They were running low on wood. The committee met to discuss the matter and were MIA for the entire day. They settled for taking the day off to rest, beyond normal guard duties. The next morning, the committee emerged from their administration building. A text went out to all their slates. An announcement was imminent and they were to report for it. Damian got out of bed, dressed in his clothes and headed out. He was in the middle as the crowd formed and had a decent view of the committee and would be able to hear. However, this wasn’t a concern. Linkle stepped forward, and spoke aloud, her voice projecting directly into their minds. “Attention all fleet members. We have an announcement to make” Linkle said. Her actual voice was the usual sweet, cheery, spunky tone she had during interviews following the Lich incident. However, in their minds it was warped slightly, adding a tone of authority to it. He felt compelled to listen. He didn’t resist and did. 

 

 

“The committee of the first fleet have discovered a problem. We are low on wood to construct the settlement. We are to send a boat back when the settlement is functional. It would be a hassle to send a boat back before this is accomplished, as it puts additional responsibility on the second and may require them to readjust their forces…. Instead we have decided to handle the problem ourselves” Linkle stated, before a map of the local area entered their minds. It showed the local area, from their settlement to the foothills to the south, and the mountain to the east, and a bit of the north. Linkle continued, saying “Since we need wood, and our mission is to explore this land before properly cultivating it, we will begin the exploration before we send for the second fleet. This first exploration operation will involve traveling out in search of a viable source of wood. All members geared or trained for exploration, report here within 4 hours. For Adventurers that registered for Exploration, you are ordered to report for duty. That is all… may Lady Farore favor us!” and with that, Linkle’s voice faded from their heads and the map. Though the memories of such remained. Damian reported an hour after the announcement. He kept his 10mm pistol on him, but he kept his sword in his locker in the barracks. They had all been given one as well as a chest to keep their belongings that they brought with them in during their stay, whether it’d be permanent or temporary. After retrieving it and putting it in its sheath, and then on his belt, he reported to the administration building for duty. 

  
  


As he arrived, he saw Linkle standing to the side talking with Miguel. They seemed to be talking. He was very curious about what was going on but didn’t approach. Namely because the nearby Zora Clerk attending the front desk requested “Excuse me, are you here to report for the upcoming Exploration? If so please give me your name, faction, and Identifying number… then navigate to the conference room 5 upstairs”. Damian nodded and said “Of course. I’m Damian Mills, Exploration Adventurers of the Adventurers' Guild, Guild ID Number 6659546”. The clerk entered it onto a slate computer and said “Thank you. Conference Room 5 is where all Guild Explorers are to meet… have a nice day”. He replied “You as well” and headed upstairs. He found the room fairly easily. It was the fifth door on the left after you arrive upstairs. It was even labeled. He entered and saw a few others. They simply nodded and he nodded back. No names were exchanged. He found it a bit odd but also knew he was new to adventuring so maybe it was unspoken that everyone knew everyone. Regardless, he followed suit with everyone else that entered. Soon, they had 100 adventurers in the room. Then, the display mounted on the wall turned on. It had been a few hours since he had arrived. Linkle was on screen with Miguel. 

 

 

“Hello, members. Thank you for gathering. As announced, we’re going to launch our first exploration into this new land. We need accurate geological data and we need to find a viable source of wood. We won’t be sending all of you, but a good number. Before that, I’ll let Miguel go over some things” Linkle stated, before moving aside. Miguel stepped into frame. Miguel Lanz… Rank 7 Research Adventurers. He used to be Rank 6, but a few things that occurred towards the end of the war caused the rankings between the big ten to go into flux. Eventually, a finalized current rankings list was posted and the results were shocking. Everything was different. Many adventurers were pushed down due to the rising of exploration adventurer Rura Alanza. Further, the retiring of adventurer Mark Halsen caused some to rise. Miguel felt a small sting from his drop in ranking. However, it ultimately did little as he applied for and got a leading position in the first fleet to the new lands, something that got him prestige. Then again, he was already famous. He was responsible for discovering the exact boundary at which the soul-draining energies of the Lost Woods extended, discovered a long-lost historical goron temple, and most surprisingly found the long-thought lost relic of the Zora people, the Zora Sapphire. Further, he apparently had a background in hyrulian special forces of the Hyrulian Royal Army. His accomplishments made the rito proud. 

 

 

Miguel stood before them and cleared his throat a bit, before saying “Hello fellow adventurers, and former military comrades, and even those who’s factions I’ve never associated with. Thank you for reporting for duty. I’ll go over some basics before Linkle goes over the strategy of the coming exploration. First, regarding weather. Because we are unable to accurately predict the weather patterns for the new lands, we’ve constructed some new equipment for field use. Lightning Cloaks. They’ll defend against stray lightning strikes and make direct hits survivable. We currently only have enough for 100 or so people, so many of you will not go. Secondly, we are rolling out an update to explorers slates. This update includes making the slates their own somewhat portable towers, so that they have full functionality, and adding a rune for use. Magnesis. It will allow you to manipulate objects at a distance similar to the telekinesis spell if they have magnetic properties. Please, after Linkle has concluded, update your slates. That is all”. Everyone listened intently. Miguel stood and bowed before moving off-screen. Linkle centered herself in frame and began to speak, saying “Alright. We have two divisions working on this. One will work logistics back at base while the other goes out to accomplish the objectives stated… division two is allowed to retreat if the mission becomes too dangerous. Thank you all. I will now display the members for each division. Thank you for your time”. The screen then displayed two columns with names under each. Damian read them. He was excited when he saw his. He was on the exploration division. 

 

 

Damian updated his slate immediately. As promised, it now had magic enchanted into the circuitry to give it location-scanning magic. Further, he had the Magnesis rune. Such runes were generally left out of citizens hands. Even the adventurers guild and police forces had to haggle with the military to be allowed use. In the case of the guild, they generally used rune mages to simply acquire the runes. This was done because they had several ex-military slates that had older versions on them. The rune mages kept a stockpile of such runes and all versions, so that if a newer version had ways of locking slates upon entering an unauthorized slate, the rune mages could work with and undo that. Even the Magnesis rune was strictly regulated. Luckily, this Magnesis rune seemed like it was the most recent version. He read the text file about it so he knew what he was doing when he was using it. He eventually put the slate away and went to one of the small researchers handing out cloaks. “Hello. What’s your name?” the researcher asked. “Damian Mills” he said. The researcher nodded and offered one, saying “You’ve been authorized to have one”. He nodded, saying “Thanks” and headed to the nearby group, moving to put the cloak into his backpack. He smiled as he saw a familiar face. Len. “Yo! Len!” He shouted as he approached. Len turned, looking a bit surprised, but smiled and replied “Hey Damian! Didn’t think I’d see you so soon!”. 

 

 

“What are you do’in here?” He asked Len “I thought they were only sending out exploration adventurers”. Len smiled and said, “Well, they never did say others couldn’t…. Just that your lot were required. I showed up and got in no problem… and was even selected!”. Damian smiled and said “ Then you got lucky… we’re going to be the first to explore the new world. I’m excited”. Len nodded as more gathered, saying “Same here… even got that lightning cloak they made. It’s amazing! I just tested it and not even a lightning breaker spell can get through!”. Damian blinked and asked “Lightningbreaker…? Wait we have a mage coming?”. Len looked at him and nodded, saying “Yeah… got two seers and a few others”. Damian was about to ask for more info when a zoran seer walked over, one that he recognized. “Lasita!” he said “You’re coming along too?”. Lasita nodded, saying “Yes… I was asked to come along by Gregory… he wanted seers to go along to provide some precognition to the exploration team”. He nodded, saying “Makes sense… we’re in unfamiliar territory. For all we know, there are staldragons out there”. Len glared at him, saying “Dude… don’t even joke about my nightmares”. Damian felt bad right then, having forgotten that Len frequently had nightmares about staldragons. According to him, he’d had the problem since childhood. It didn’t interfere with his ability to sleep nor did it reduce the effects of sleep on him. Even so, Len didn’t like it. That was when Linkle’s voice washed over them. 

 

 

“Explorers! Please, pay attention! We are going to go over the exploration plan. While I ask you adhere to it, I understand some came here to strike it out. As such, I’m allowing deviation in numbers. If you want to explore something, take no less than 10 people with you. Any discovery is allowable to be searched, except for the sword to the south, the large tower west, and the monument on the mountain west… once we’ve sent for the second fleet, we will then begin a proper exploration of the monument. For now, please focus on finding a viable source of wood. Thank you, brave explorers. Good luck and may Hylia be with us!” Linkle said aloud, in front of the gate out they had made. It slowly opened without anyone doing so. Many of them felt spooked, but also knew it was fine. Linkle was the Sage of Spirits and spirits were associated with strange things happened. This was one in a number of things. Lasita looked out at the plains ahead and said “The group is going to go south… I think we should follow, for now”. Damian nodded and said “When in doubt, trust the seer… Len?”. Len nodded and said “Lasita was requested by Gregory… sure. I see no reason to distrust her. South it is”. Damian smiled and said “Lasita, Len… let’s go out and make our legend!” with a big smile brimming with optimism. 


	6. Extra Chapter: a Report on the Dark Races

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A report made by Research Adventurer Rank 103 whom accepted a contract posted by the Royal Family of Hyrule offering a reward for a comprehensive research report about the new races that joined Hyrule after the Great War. It details his findings after multiple interviews, tests, and examinations throughout the year after the Great War.

**_The Dark Races_ **

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**_A Report By:_ **

**_Lars Ruthberg, Research Adventurer Rank 103_ **

I am Research Adventurer Rank 49, Guild Number 6978091, Lars Gran Ruthberg. I am a Goron hailing from the great city of Goronza, the largest goron city in Southeastern Hyrule, part of the Goron State of Falaz. I took a contract available to research adventurers rank 50 or higher set by the Royal Senate and Royal Family jointly. In exchange for the sum of 50,000 rupees I conducted a study into the various races that will join the Hyrulian fold if they refused to join the second fleet and this report will act as advise to the Senate and Royal Family on how to proceed with what is now dubbed as the ‘Dark Races’. Before we continue, a few disclaimers. I do not use the term ‘Dark Races’ willingly, I use it so everyone knows what I speak of. These races are simply beings from beyond our dimension that spent millenium in the dimensional void. Not the one we experience when we leave our dimension, but the one that results from the collapse of a dimension, for whatever reason (It was admitted by the academic community that not every instance is because of the destruction of a triforce. As noted by the Keatons and Wizzrobes, they never had a triforce to begin with nor anything resembling it). Further, my studies will show that all participating races are fit to join regular society, unlike those monsters (Bokoblin, Moblin, Lizalfos, etc. etc.). 

 

The report will be formatted thusly: First I will give a brief synopsis of the race going over general notes. Then I will go into their stated history briefly, then I will state what their approximate biology is (some species, like the deku scrubs and subrosians, make this somewhat difficult due to the nature of their bodies), their affinity for magic, their culture, and whether they are fit for society or not.    


 

I will preface this by stating one thing very clearly immediately: I believe every race is fit for normal society. They have some quirks that will make their integration rigid and difficult, but I believe it’s possible. They are complex-thinking beings that can put logic before emotion, though like us gorons, hylians, etc, tend to sometimes give in to emotion. 

 

With that said, below is a small table of contents for easy navigation of this report. With that, I shall begin the report proper.    
  


#  Lorulian

##  Brief Synopsis

The Lorulians are the first recorded dark race we had contact with during the war with the Lich some months ago. It was not actually on that veritable battlefield in Central Old Hyrule, but in the Goron City branch of the hotel chain called Gourmand Al La Carte… yes that one. It’s the story about the Chief Investigator Sheik being attacked in his hotel room. However, this attempted assassination is not evident of their true nature… at least an examination of its face. Further, tactics shown on the battlefield and their actions after show a very different image. An image not too dissimilar to our own. As demonstrated by the war, other dimensions exist each with their own inhabitants adapted to survive the environment. The Lorulians seem to be a version of Hylians that adapted initially like us for a dimension extremely similar to ours… but fell to ruin and eventually the void which they had to adapt to. This seems to have had a ripple effect on other parts of them that they may not even be aware of, as I will demonstrate in this portion of the report. 

 

##  Stated History

As asserted above, the Lorulians have noted that Hylians seem a lot like what their recorded history stated they were like with a simple difference, we are more peaceful than they were. This note was made not knowing of the various civil wars and the cycle between the bearer of power vs the bearers of courage and wisdom. Thus, it can be inferred that they originate from a dimension highly similar to ours… however, as many may have noticed, I have not mentioned any Triforce, something that should have been gifted if true. Their recorded history answers this… after what would’ve been the Golden War, the civil war done to capture the golden power, the one where ‘Ganon’ got past the royal families defenses and claimed the Triforce, the sages instead of sealing it and ganon opted to instead destroy their Triforce… and succeeded. According to their records, unlike ours where Ganon touched the triforce as it was sealed, taking him with it, their ‘Ganon’ failed to stop its destruction. As a result, the sages felled him with ease.    
  
From there it does not take a great mind to imagine what happened. Without the golden light of the triforce, a veritable pillar of reality, the dimension was vulnerable and eventually, due to the numerous other civil wars that utilized magic, it collapsed, thrusting its inhabitants into the void. From there, the inhabitants used what magic they could to survive in the void and connect the various chunks of land that survived thus far. Eventually, the Lich appeared and provided aid by changing their biology so living wasn’t painful (their records state that existing in the void for small periods is not painful… but that over time, it became painful to live… like feeling scratches all over ones body) and combine the landmasses to form a small kingdom (roughly the size of Central Old Hyrule). Eventually, the Lich made a deal with the 4th in line. In exchange for troops for his war against the goddesses he would give some land to the Lorulians, to cultivate and sustain themselves. Following this, the Lorulians joined in the Lich’s campaign to conquer Hyrule. 

 

##  Lorulian Biology

As noted above, Lorulians biology diverged from our own rather drastically. They have black but smooth skin, skin very much like a hylians. Their hair tends to be white but is noted to be lighter shades of other colors (though never black or grey). Their eyes are the most striking feature though. Their sclera is black and their pupils are red. This is likely to filter the amount of light entering their eyes, since the void tends to be immeasurably bright. Further, their organs regulate toxins better, though they seem to require more time to digest foods because of this and have slower metabolisms overall. Other than this, they are very much like Hylians. 

 

Something to note, it is noted that while Lorulians are multi-talented like Hylians, they do so in a different way. While Hylians generally are able to reach an expert level in multiple skills, Lorulians tend to specialize to an almost extreme level in a single skill. They can become experts in multiple skills, similar to how Hylians can specialize to a startling degree if they train exclusively for the skill, but Lorulian culture does not support this in any way. Indeed, I will not in their culture that only nobility and royalty have the luxury of acquiring expertise in multiple skills. 

 

##  Lorulian Magical Affinity

I have not gone into how my studies were conducted. I worked with Duos (who was very gracious in helping me with this study) to acquire the necessary records and memorize them, and then offered me a sample of 20 lorulians. I compared this to 20 similar hylians. The reason this is relevant is because magical affinity is where hylians and lorulians truly are like day and night respectively. 

 

Hylians, as noted, created Oath Magic, magic that has been lovingly referred to as ‘Contract Magic’. They also are one of the only races capable of using and mastering even any magic they wish to learn, requiring only diligent study and hard work. Lorulians, by contrast, either are incapable or do not. This does not mean they have no talent. Their mages are extraordinary. Their pupils are roughly the equivalent of a caster-class mage. 

 

The fields of magic they can learn and use is larger than even the Zora, whom boast 4 fields of magic they created and generally learn. The Lorulians have access to six fields of magic. They can study and use Seer Magic, Shadow Magic, Illusion Magic, Song Magic, Reflection Magic, and their own created magic called Charm Magic, which like Necromantic Magic is simply a more concentrated form of illusion magic. However, they are incapable of using Light Magic, Necromantic Magic, Nature Magic,  and Teleportation Magic. 

 

As noted, they too have created magic of their own. Specifically, their current king, Duos Tilrose Lorule, created the above mentioned Charm Magic. It is a concentrated form of Illusion Magic, that focuses solely on the social aspect of illusion magic (making one appear better than they are, making them sound friendly, altering their appearance to look like another, etc. etc). It focuses solely on manipulating if not outright changing the social dynamic of individuals affected. It is not all-powerful, as noted that during the City of Sages Siege, Duos’s pink mist spell (which he dubbed as ‘Troop Mist’) changed the loyalties of soldiers inside the mist… yet some remained loyal to Hyrule and were attacked for it by those that fell prey to it. 

 

##  Lorulian Culture

Lorulians culture is in ways similar yet different from Hylians, though whether this is due to adaption or simply a consequence of their lives thus far is up to debate for philosophers. This is a factual report and the state of current Lorulian culture is not important. 

 

Lorulians, like hylians, place great importance on uphold one's word. Following a contract, being loyal to their king, and so on, so forth. The difference is that Lorulians place an almost zealotrous focus on it. One must clearly prioritize their loyalties and follow through or be seen as an outcast. Not necessarily damning, but definitely a disadvantage in their culture, since outsiders are seen as potentially moral less people. The usual list of priorities go: One’s family, one’s lord, one’s kingdom, one’s self, one’s employer, and one’s neighbor.

 

Additionally, Lorulians place a huge amount of importance on self-reliability. From a young age, lorulians are taught how to use weapons safely and how to defend themselves and care for themselves. It is usually done in a mostly ethical way (there are no known cases of such lessons going awry and ending in death or abuse) and it is not done to a degree that lorulians live in isolation. In fact, it is encouraged to share ones survival knowledge to those lacking (One particularly enthusiastic sample, one named Nembo Rialu, mentioned that he shared a survival trick with his neighbor regarding home defense, that simply lining one’s front door with honey will not only show when someone who isn’t aware of it has been in their home, but also where they went… both inside and out). 

 

A final note in regards to their social hierarchy is that there is an importance to it. Most households hold a similar hierarchy similar to the kingdoms hierarchy, which is as follows:

  * A head of the nation, in the kingdoms case is Duos. In a family, it would be the oldest family member.
  * Two officers to oversee different faculties of the kingdom (A military general and a steward to handle law and social order). In a family, these would be the first two in line to inherit the position of family head.
  * The various courts of nobility related to or appointed by the head of state. In a family this would be the parents of children in the family. 
  * The state employees that help the government run. In a family, this too would be parents but the younger ones. 
  * Finally, the regular citizenry with which the state simply contracts or simply rule over by proxy of them existing on government property. In a family setting, these would be teens and children of the household. 



This hierarchy is highly respected by the adults of the lorulians and while children and teens tend to rebel against it, they did eventually become part of it and respect it themselves. Their relocation to the New Lands may change this, but only time will tell. 

 

##  Readiness For Society

I have conclusively stated that I believe all of the Dark Races are fit for society, but I will go into specifics here. While a bit rigid in terms of societal structure and showing an almost zelous nature in regards to fulfilling agreements, they are reasonable. As noted, they are not isolationists and are fully capable of cooperating with others and despite a survivalistic mindset, their survival in the void under a still existing and strong monarchy has proven that they could integrate into Hyrulian society. Granted, Duos, their king, could make the process difficult but recent events and personal interaction lead me to reasonably believe he will not do so (He promised to my face he would help Lorulians that stayed behind adjust to their new life, by using his authority as their king to let them know to view Voster as their new king). Ultimately, it comes down to how the Royal Family, corporations, and states handle integration of the Lorulians to truly show if they integrate well or not. I am confident that given a chance and done correctly (Not treating them like rabble), they will adjust fine. 

  
  


#  Deku Scrubs

##  Brief Synopsis

Deku Scrubs come from an odd dimension. It is noted that the dimension in question does in fact still exist. However, for some reason, the Deku Scrubs were largely removed from it for something they have no recollection of. They do admit to a tribalistic society before being cast into the void, but they have since changed to adapt to Lorulian Culture since they have been together for the past 400 years. Deku Scrubs retain some of their tribalistic tendencies but the more violent of them have been highly curbed in favor of the more social aspects. If one is to be a friend to a deku there are tests it will put forth, but these will not endanger your life and are important to the deku. Interestingly, the Deku are completely unaffected by long-term exposure to the void. 

 

##  Stated History

The Deku Scrubs note that they have a long and storied history. They lived in the southern swamp region of the nation they were a part of, named Termina. In ancient times they were very hostile to other members of the nation but in recent times had become kinder to being part of the nation. However, 400 years ago they were forced asleep after the pollen season began and awoke in the Lorulian Town Square… magic investigations revealed the strangers innocent and in fact something from Termina at fault. The king of that time helped them integrate into society and they eventually became friendly with their now allies. They weren’t dragged into the war, less because they weren’t capable of fighting and more because they didn’t trust the Lich. When the Lich lost, they accepted Hyrules offer because they knew sooner or later the landmass in the void would be too little for them and it was more beneficial to gamble on Hyrule. 

 

Of interesting note though is a small three-day period of time they refer to as the Era of Calamity. It was foretold by a prophecy they had, and the things told to me by the Deku Oracles was fascinating and interesting. To put it simply, it predicted a dark and terrible mask coming into possession of a weak-willed but innocent child, whom would use its power to bring ruin and devastation to Termina, and wipe all inhabitants of it. It predicted the death of their deity, of the other lands deities. The Oracles mention that the Era was prevented by a small child wielding a magical ocarina, magical masks, a seemingly perfect knowledge of how each day would occur and aided by a fairy. Not only did the child succeed in defeating the evil mask possessing the weak-willed child, but also revived the ancient guardian deities of each region and even rescued their captured princess. 

 

This is interesting because the time period involve correlates well with the recorded disappearance of the Hero of Time and it is also noted that this is further likely due to the specific description of said child wielding a magic ocarina and being aided by a fairy (The Hero of Time was famously helped by a fairy named Navi, whom was assigned to him by the Great Deku Tree). This leads to the conclusion that a portal to Termina likely exists in Old Hyrule somewhere. 

 

##  Deku Biology

Deku Scrubs are physically similar to Koroks, but vastly different in appearance and ability. Whereas Koroks resemble trees with leaves, Deku Scrubs resemble plants with leaves, mostly bushes if we’re being honest. Further, they have large circular snouts that also serve as their mouth through which they can expel hardened nuts that upon impact create a bright flash of light. The seeds are grown internally, in a sac underneath their skull. They hold 5 nuts maximum and a new one grows over the course of a month when one is used. Further, they seem to lack arms but naturally grown leaves simply obscure and hide them. Additionally, their eyes are much different. They have orange sclera and black pupils, as opposed to the koroks small, black, beady eyes. In terms of talent and ability, Deku Scrubs seem physically stronger than Koroks but not as nimble leaving them hindered for jobs that require natural speed. Further, they seem to naturally fly, twirling their leaves that sprout from the tip of their head to do so once they reach adulthood. Finally, they are capable of changing the colors of their leaves to provide camouflage for when they are hunting, fighting, or ambushing. 

 

##  Deku’s Magical Affinity

Deku Scrubs are less magical than Koroks but still quite magical in nature. They are noted as being capable of growing powerful mages they refer to as ‘Oracles’ that help defend the tribe they are affiliated with (There are 5 currently existing and noted in Hyrule). These ‘Oracles’ generally have an entire group of their own that they train and care for as if they were family. They are generally very old, as they are the sole source of information regarding life before the void. All Oracles are masters of Nature and Weather Magic, but a few also are noted as wielding Wind Magic. They did not create their own magic either, unlike the Lorulians. Further, they seem incapable of learning Fire Magic, Lightning Magic, Necromantic Magic, and Rune Magic. 

 

##  Deku Culture

Deku Scrub culture is very… different. It is, as noted, tribalistic but it is also sophisticated. They generally congregate and identify with a certain tribe (As stated before, only 5 tribes currently exist in Hyrule, and because of their culture a sixth forming is unlikely) and show great loyalty to it, generally showing it loyalty before any monarch. While each tribe uses different terms for different positions and different customs for how those positions are filled (save the position of Oracle), the structure remains largely the same. There is a tribal head, his family, a servant that serves them directly and when needed rules on their behalf, the Oracle, their order, the warriors, the hunters/food providers, and the storytellers (members whom for one reason or another are unable to contribute physically but are not children). The Oracle is generally considered on par with the servant, but is actually more powerful due to the acolytes/members of the group they form that give them more of a voice than the servant. 

 

It is noted that the Deku while not inherently war-like are perfectly capable of defending themselves. As noted, they held the Termina Swamp Region for decades, even preventing attempted conquests by the other states that made up the nation of Termina. Part of this is due to their environment and guerilla tactics, but the Oracles noted that they had a guardian deity that would fight alongside them named Odwalla. Until the Era of Calamity that is, when Odwalla was corrupted and died, becoming a monster. It’s defeat at the hands of a child that appeared revived the deity who aided the child in stopping the other child noted. This event did change Deku culture from a hostile tribalistic culture to a more moderate tribalistic culture. 

 

##  Readiness For Society

I believe that the Deku can perfectly coexist and integrate into Hyrulian culture. As long as corporations, the royal family, and states do not try to force integration, ease them into it, and most of all respect, work to preserve, and ultimately keep their culture intact, the Deku are likely to integrate fine with the likes of Koroks and Hylians. All it takes is patience and understanding. Further, it is likely the royal family will need to iron out some issues between particular tribes (The Howells and Vara’s are famously hostile to one another). 

  
  


#  Goriya

##  Brief Synopsis

The Goriya at face value seem completely incompatible with regular society. War-like and barbaric in nature, it would seem they have no place in our society… however, I disagree. As noted throughout this report, face-value examinations only are detrimental to real evaluation. The Goriya, while it will be difficult, is not impossible to integrate into Hyrulian Society. The Goriya were a proud people that lived on the plains of Labrynna for ages before the eventual collapse of the dimension due entirely to the death of the Great Mako Tree. They served as guardians to its forests for generations until that fateful day and were willing to accept their fate… until they drifted to the landmass in the void that served as the kingdom of the Lorulians. They accepted integration when their leader was defeated by the Lorulian king when their leader challenged the Lorulian King. 

 

##  Goriya’s History

The Goriya initially were simply raiders on the plains, whom served various forces. At one point they served Queen Anne, harrying the hero as her traveled it. Another era, they served the Great Moblin, making bombs and ambushing travelers. In recent times before the collapse of their dimension, they served the Great Mako tree whom realized their potential. They lived a long while on the plains between the primary city of the dimension and the Great Mako tree that oversaw and protected the dimension, until it withered naturally and sent it and all the inhabitants to the void. They lived with the Lorulians for 200 years prior to the war with the Lich, which they admit to participating in for a singular reason; They came to the conclusion that the Lich was stronger than the current king, Duos, since Duos swore fealty to the Lich. Thankfully for Duos, the Lich ordered them to keep society in the void as was but that he would call on them. They responded by being part of his army and respecting the status quo. When the Lich lost, they naturally regarded us as the stronger party and interestingly the view the group of the heroes (Rank, Linkle, Zelda, Link, Garruk, Ganon, and Bett) as the strongest party of Hyrule and thus their collective leader (Interestingly, the liaison of the Goriya admits that they admire the King’s bravery when he fought Garrax. Had he been involved with the battle against the Lich, they might have followed him). 

 

##  Goriya Biology

Interestingly, the most apt comparison between a Hyrulian Race and a Dark Race is to compare them to Gorons. They both noted as having hard backs and being large and bulky (Goriya can be up to 10 feet tall and weigh up to 500 pounds). However, that is all. Whereas gorons backs are rocky, Goriya’s are scaly. Further while so bulky they are not as close to the bulkiness of Gorons. They are also physically weaker. That said, they are much more nimble and a contest between a Goron and Goriya in traditional Goron Sumo proved in fact that Goriya could potentially outmaneuver the Goron (They have the physical strength to actually move goron and were able to easily dodge the goron sumo’s attempted to ring out them. Out of 5 matches, the goron sumo lost 3 of them). Goriya also are omnivorous whereas goron’s primarily eat rocks. Also, they are incapable of curling up and rolling at high speeds, nor at all. Otherwise, the Goriya, biologically, are actually fairly unremarkable.

 

##  Magical Affinity

Goriya surprisingly are magically inclined, noted as having some mages in their tribe. While the number (10 out of 1000 members) is low, it is significant. They are noted as primarily using Barrier and Lightning Magics and being incapable of Teleportation Magic, Rune Magic, and Reflection Magic. Further, mages tend to have high positions.

 

However, they practice magic in an odd way. They use almost exclusively spell gems. The Goriya strangely believe they are incapable of naturally casting magic and must use spells through physical mediums and this occurs via spell gems. The only exceptions are things like staves, wands, and enchanted items. Interestingly, this practice does allow them to practice almost any kind of magic, save the ones mentioned (unless they are given spell gems of said types). They claim they cast magic by drawing in magic from local ley lines and then shaping it with their thoughts and aiming the spell. 

 

Examinations however have proven the Goriya could cast magic perfectly normally. It seems this belief arises from historic/culture than actual logical testing. It was mentioned by the Goriya that magic only entered their tribe after they became allied with the Great Mako tree and it was originally through her they used magic. It is likely this is the root cause of their belief. 

 

Note: This is not a negative to the Goriya people. I personally find such things perfectly fine and workable. After all, the Goron rarely practice magic outside of enchanting. 

 

##  Goriya Culture

Of all the Dark Races and even of all the races in Hyrule, the Goriya are the smallest number of them, with only 1000 members to its name. This combined with Hyrule’s duty to care for the survivors of the war made handling them fairly simple. They currently reside in Central Hyrule, helping the Lon Lon Corporation run security in exchange for some land to set up temporary residence. This leads fully into this section about their culture. 

 

The Goriya, as mentioned before, were raiders for much of their life. As a result, the strongest brute ruled the pack for a long time (or seeming strongest. Amongst thieves, schemes are a factor). However, after the interference by the Great Mako tree gave them not just purpose beyond surviving, but brought morality to their minds. This set into motion a change in their culture for, in my opinion, the better. They ended their ways of Raiding, taking on a much different culture. Specifically, their idea of strong went from brute strength to encompass the most successful individual among them. An extremely potent mage, a very clever Goriya, and even as before an extremely strong member could all become a leader. They also came to the conclusion that year-long contests were time-consuming and simply held a yearly, week-long tournament between members that desired the position of leader a week after the new year would arrive, announced by the Great Mako tree. 

 

Further, the Goriya are actually very sociable. They made regular trade with the nearby town and while hesitant to the idea of partnering with the Great Mako Tree, became acceptable to the idea that outsiders could bring good change to their society. Further, they have caused no problems since their relocation to Lon Lon corporations central Hyrulian ranch and even provide security in exchange for said land. 

 

##  Readiness For Society

As shown above, Goriya can be integrated into Hyrulian Society quite easily, so long as Employment is laid out to them as it was with Lon Lon Ranch… an exchange. It is in essence but Hyrulian Citizens have not described it as such to me. They describe it as a job, which the Goriya will view less favorably. Further, complication, while impressive to them, may lead them to believe its a test of their strength and could sour negotiations between Goriya and Employer. Thus, employers of Hyrule must make sure to make terms of employment basic and simple. 

 

However the question then becomes… is it smart to? As the Royal Family knows, the Second Great Hyrulian Expansion is coming in a mere few months… perhaps it is smarter to offer then a chance to join it and gain their own land. Maybe even their own land, since they enjoyed a partnership with the Lorulians in the void. It is ultimately their choice, but from my perspective them joining the Second Great Expansion may be the better move for them. 

  
  


#  Keaton

##  Brief Synopsis

Keatons are a very… odd race. Their home dimension may no longer exist, but this bothers them little. They are noted as having appeared as myth in various dimensions, strangely even in the twilight dimension. This, combined with how little their home dimensions collapse actually affected them in the long run, leads one to believe they are dimension hoppers. This is true to an extent, though overstated somewhat. Not all Keaton are capable of dimensional travel. They simply are adapted, specifically, to the eventuality of losing their home dimension. Apparently, the Keaton knew it was coming and prepared, altering their own biology so the void would pose little trouble to them. It by no means is their permanent home (proven by their immediate acceptance to join the Lorulians, and then us Hyrulians) and they are temporarily staying in Hyrule. Where they go is anyone’s guess. I predict they may try to join with the Second Great Expansion, as one Keaton mentioned that this dimension was very stable thanks to the Triforce and so staying here would be preferable. The only other choice would be Termina. 

 

##  Keaton History

The Keaton don’t really have a history… less because they don’t have one and more because it is unimportant to them. They simply visit dimensions they want and have fun there. However, they always had a home. Their name for it was Hisubo. After it’s collapse 50 years ago, they wandered the void a little looking for a new home, eventually settled with the Lorulians. A few acted as advisor to what would be Duos’s father and the rest became citizens, disappearing at times. Now they call Hyrule their home and they have complied with our request (Accurate report of all Keatons, notification of dimension hopping, etc. etc). Otherwise, Keaton History is largely unimportant (Due to the actions of the Keatons themselves). 

 

##  Keaton Biology

Keatons are interesting, biologically. Their tails interestingly are not actually connected nor even part of their spinal column. Meaning that biologically, they are simply digits of flesh with nerve muscles that don’t actually do anything covered in fur. Yet their tails move to the will of the keatons. This is because of nerves connected to the spines, but not just any nerves… they are what I can only describe as magical nerves that transfer a keatons magical power whenever they use magic or even just think from their souls into their tails… moving them like one might lift their arm. From there it’s simple. Every 100 years, a Keaton grows an additional tail. They are quadrupedal fox-like creatures that are capable of complex thought like Hyrulians and have the throat adapted to form complex words. 

 

##  Keaton Magical Affinity

As one might expect, the Keaton are a highly magical race, almost opposite of the Goriya. However, while one might think their tails mean something in regards to their magic, due to the myths, my research does not support their conclusion. Neither however does it hamper a Keaton’s magical development. In summation, the number of tails a Keaton has is completely irrelevant to the discussion on a Keaton’s magical capability and affinity. 

 

So moving on, what is a Keaton capable of? Well, they do use a few primary kinds of magic, but shockingly are very similar to Hylians, having no real restrictions, except for being unable to use Charm or Necromantic Magic. The few kinds they primarily focus on are Seer Magic, Illusion Magic, and Teleportation Magic. Another interesting fact is that they seem completely uninterested with spell gems, as another contrast to the Goriya. 

 

##  Keaton Culture

Keaton’s have a very interesting culture. One might think with what has been stated that they have basically no rules, but this is further from the truth. The Keatons generally with ostracize and even sabotage any one of them that committs murder and generally do have a social hierarchy. Even apart, the society knows what’s going on for the population and if a meeting is going to occur, they usually show up. 

 

Even so, it is true that Keatons are generally disconnected from one another, have no government, and generally only respect a government as far as being cordial and polite, following reasonable rules. In fact, it is noted that the Keaton’s that visited Termina almost never bothered with the government of Termina. 

 

In terms of their hierarchy, Keaton’s respect the wisest and slyest of their members. As stated, murder leads to ostracization from their society but humiliating and ursurping the previous leader is par for the course among the keaton. This is because the Keaton, by their nature, are tricksters and are known to play tricks on other races. However, they even play tricks on one another. In general it is in good fun, but one of the Keatons that let me interview them mentioned that not all tricks are just fun. Sometimes, it is a Keaton asserting his dominance. It is them trying to tell you that they are the one in control. 

 

##  Readiness For Society

I do not feel a need to spend much time here. Absolutely, the Keatons can integrate with regular society. They are clever, wise, and very intelligent. However, the question isn’t if they are, but rather will they? They may decide to go elsewhere and we can’t really stop them. Further, attempts to would only be met by humiliation and ridicule. 

  
  


#  Tokay

##  Brief Synopsis

The Tokay are in some ways similar to the Zora and in other ways completely different. Like the Deku they are tribalistic, falling into groups of themselves. Unlike the Deku though, they do not have any wars in their history. If anything, they more or less have never seen conflict. Yet strangely, they were battle ready during the war. One Tokay described why; It simply was because the Tokay, while not violent, place great importance on practical skill. This means that while warfare is not something they’ve experienced, they still find it important to practice for such things. The war showed the result; While they ultimately failed they showed great prowess in combat. Further, their home dimension, Labrynna, was destroyed in ancient times. 

 

##  Tokay History

Tokay History is very, very simple and unimportant. They lived on an island far from the mainland for their entire lives and when their home dimension collapsed, the Lich gave them a home with the Lorulians, who accepted them as they had all before them. They entered society roughly the same time as the Goriya. Their history frankly is largely unimportant, beyond the footnote that most of it is orally transferred history and likely will continue to be such (They do not actually dislike books… in fact, interestingly they can read just fine. They simply prefer good, auditory stories to reading). 

 

##  Tokay Biology

One could make the argument that Tokay are the saltwater to the Zora freshwater… though the description would be lacking (though makes for a fine joke). Tokay and Zora are both adept at swimming in both fresh and saltwater. The difference primarily in build. Zora while physically strong are more built for speed swimming and elegance. Tokay are power swimmers. As such, in a physical contest you will see Zora put emphasis on outmaneuvering while the Tokay will focus on sheer power. 

 

Further, the Tokay are more rotund and round than the Zora. This is due to how their body handles food. It stores all the fat content in the meat they eat so that in the event of a food shortage or simple inability of their hunters for whatever reason, starvation will be staved off for approximately 1 month. Further, interestingly, while Zora must still filter saltwater before drinking it, the Tokay have no such problem. 

 

##  Tokay Magical Affinity

The Tokay magically are somewhat unique. They have magical aptitude and examinations show that any Tokay could potentially learn to use magic, but each have two distinct things that make a Tokay Magic User truly unique… with a singular exception. All Tokay use some level of magic that enhances their natural strength. In fact, it is unique enough that a sage examined the technique and stated, quote, ‘There has never been a magic like this… the closest approximation is barrier magic but it is still unique comparatively’. This is important because I can announce in this report that the Tokay are the other dark race to create their own unique brand of magic; Aura Magic. 

 

It is a derivative of Barrier Magic that focuses on flexibly covering the body or parts of a body in a flowing layer of pure magical power. Elementally, it is unaffiliated. However, adept magic users among the Tokay can actually change the element of this magic. Further, the aura has actually been proven to be exceedingly strong. The generic Aura Armor spell they use is equal to the barrier magic spell Culve Caldera, but as stated before it’s as flexible as skin and flows over either a body part or the casters body. 

 

However, this is not all Tokay Magic users are capable of… and again, most Tokay do not practice like we do. They are noted as using the following magic types: Water Magic, Barrier Magic, and Oath Magic. As for how they practice, they perform rituals to cast their spells. Unlike how most casters in Hyrule cast magic (the standard is hand gestures, a word spoken, while in a state of heightened emotion), the Tokay perform somewhat long, elaborate rituals to prepare for the spellcasting. After the ritual is complete, they feel free to cast whatever spells they need to. 

 

I will not say that this method is right or wrong, as it does follow the general principles laid out by most schools teaching magic. It is simply important to note the difference. Interestingly, I consulted the sage that said that the Aura Magic Tokay use is definitely unique about their manner of casting. He actually believes there is a great benefit to it that they aren’t aware of. The ritual itself likely puts the users emotions into a stimulated state, thus making them produce magical power. Again, merely a note that was important to point out. 

 

##  Tokay Culture

Tokay Culture is very, very tribalistic and traditional. However, they are extremely easy-going. I’d almost say they’re basically the koroks of the dark races, except the Tokay not only can defend themselves, but if you were to really push it, they’d do it, and do it well. As stated previously, the Tokay place great importance on skill and their leader is the most skilled among them. To prove this, the Tokay have a pair of yearly rituals done at the solstice that their tribe leader must do in order to maintain his position. Failure means each tribe member, from the second most skilled down, attempting the challenge. 

 

The challenge essentially is a 12 hour ritual that the tokay undergoes in order to prove their skills. The skill shown is up to them. It is judged by the tribe’s mages, of which in the current tribe of 10,000 is only around 300. If an item is crafted, the mages will physically test the item. If it is martial skill, then they will visually judge the skill displayed. If it is magical, they will use magic to try to feel out the casters potential and skill. Ultimately, the Tokay undergoing the challenge either succeeds or fails. 

 

In the event of a Tokay challenging the current leader, the challenge is postponed until the solstice where each make their 12 hour attempt and the mages decide. The mages of the tribe, while they are allowed to participate, generally do not do so, as they have important duties that would be hampered by the responsibilities of leadership. 

 

The mages perform most of the logistics of the tribe, and fulfill the teacher role of the tribe. Further, they play at fortune teller by watching the stars and using tradition to read them and by extension fortune (They don’t actually read fate via this method, just an important note to make… however, bringing this up will offend the Tokay). 

 

Interestingly, the Tokay place just as great an importance on hunters as they do the tribe crafters. Even the potters. It’s quite interesting that they would. I know this will come up so I will say it, yes. The Tokay do say that while unlikely, it is entirely possible for a particularly good Tokay Potter to become tribe chief… and that is where the problem lies. 

 

The Tokay refuse leadership from anyone non-Tokay. They will allow non-Tokays to become members of the tribe (and their children would become members of the tribe and eligible) but they will still not be allowed to be tribe leader. It is unknown why they won’t.

 

##  Readiness For Society

My stance is as always that they are. However, I would say that it is unlikely they will. They are a large tribe and while they can operate split up, they seem to prefer staying together. Further, I have confirmation from Zelda herself that 99% of the Tokay did in fact sign up for the Second Great Expansion. This means that it is highly unlikely that many will integrate into society at all. Even so, should the few that remain do so, it is important for the senate and police forces to monitor companies so that the Tokay’s generosity and naivety is not exploited. Doing so and them discovering the exploitation will result in disaster. 

  
  


#  Wizzrobe

##  Brief Synopsis

The Wizzrobe are interesting. They are the most magically inclined race and are noted in Hyrules most ancient of pasts as being monsters (I actually found the book, made with papyrus and tanned cow leather, that contained the bestiary of Hyrulian monsters… dating back to the time of the Minish). However, their modern iteration seems to be… very civil. Their current actions actually gave me pause to consider if they weren’t in fact misunderstood. An explanation however explained everything. Simply put, Wizzrobe loyalties lie with one party: Their employer. Whomever they have offered their services to in exchange for whatever it is they want. In the Wizzrobe i’ve hireds case, cooking. Yes. I have a being that has mastered 5 kinds of magic and I pay him by… funding his cooking obsession. I truly have a very odd living situation right now. 

 

##  Wizzrobe History

The History of Wizzrobes is interesting. They aren’t like the Keatons, whom jumped through dimensions. They, after being soundly defeated by the Link of the Minish Era, instead traveled through time, arriving at a different future entirely. In this future, the Hero of Time Link failed to defeat Ganon, plunging that timeline’s Hyrule into chaos. They served Ganon, whom emboldened and funded their varying obsessions, until he was defeated. They then fled to new timelines, and kept jumping around time until arriving here. They were not fighting in the war, but did run Logistics for the Lich apparently in exchange for the same deal they made with Ganon. 

 

Thus a single sentence will suffice to explain their history. They were mages for hire that when their employer was defeated, they escaped the heroes wrath by jumping through time using Time Magic. It truly is a bizarre tale to hear. 

 

##  Wizzrobe Biology

This is where the bestiary entry on Wizzrobe becomes wholly useless. They were described as black humanoids with clawed hands and green robes and hat. Yet the Wizzrobe I hired is black-feathered, has hands/wings like a rito, a multi-colored beak like a toucan, rainbows for eyes (I’ll explain soon), and has blue robes. Oh, and they have legs like a birds but formed like a humans (bending outwards instead of inwards). So yeah, don’t trust that book beyond their appearance during the Minish Age. 

 

So. Wizzrobes. What are they? Well… basically they are Rito. They come in a few varieties but there are two consistent features. A multi-colored toucan-like beak and eyes colored like a rainbow with purple pupils. Oh and the legs. Other than that, the feather color and robe color of Wizzrobes can differ between members. It is possible the Minish Hero only encountered Wizzrobes of some sort of gang, but that is unlikely. Unlike Rito however they cannot naturally fly without assistance from magic. 

 

##  Wizzrobe Magical Affinity

Wizzrobes are quite magical. The second most magical race among the dark races… and really races in general. In terms of magic they can use, they could technically learn any magic they want to… but only work with complex magic. As such, they only use Reflection Magic, Seer Magic, Teleportation Magic, Rune Magic, Oath Magic, Illusion Magic, and Lightning Magic, as well as their own handcrafted magic type, Time Magic. 

 

Time Magic is a concentrated and more active version of Seer Magic, focusing on actual manipulation and travel through time itself. Not all Wizzrobes are capable of time travel (I tried. Mine can’t actually time travel at all and it’s not unusual for them to be unable to). In fact, it seems only a select few known as the ‘Committee of Elders’ is and all Wizzrobes gather to one when they are about to time travel (This occurring acts as a whistle that things have turned sour). This committee is made up of older Wizzrobes that have mastered many forms of magic (Usually only 3). The Wizzrobe I hired is par for the course and he is only specialist-class in one kind of magic and is studying another kind of magic to pursue his cooking (Lightning Magic so he can expertly control the voltage of the stove… I know. It’s really, really weird for me too). 

 

##  Wizzrobe Culture

Their culture is very… interesting. Despite being so fractured and spread out, they do have a society formed and are part of it. It occurs over magical transmissions (I suspect once they get their hands on Sheikah technology, over the Sheikah Network) and is very clearly defined. Simply put the hierarchy is; The ‘Committee of Elders’, whom all Wizzrobes regard as an authority figure (there are instances that the Wizzrobe I hired mentioned that they were unanimously ignored, so there are not totally unquestioned). Then you have the research groups (Groups of Wizzrobes that have roughly the same obsession that work under a single figure that work towards researching a single thing). After this, you have the outlier Wizzrobes that have odd obsessions or simply prefer to work alone. 

 

I am putting this here because it seems to fit best. There is a single quirk about Wizzrobes that all share. They all are extremely obsessive from the time they are capable of complex thought and critical thinking in regards to a single thing. I say thing but it is more something that results from a process. This could be smithing to as noted cooking. Otherwise, there is nothing terribly remarkable about Wizzrobe culture. 

 

##  Readiness For Society

I believe Wizzrobes will adapt well to Hyrulian society. They are capable of working hard and with proper funding to fuel their obsession, they will work hard to accomplish their job to specification. As a result I see no problems with them integrating into our society. 

  
  


#  Subrosians

##  Brief Synopsis

Subrosians are… weird. I have no other word to accurately describe this race. On the one hand, I think they’ll do fine in Hyrulian society. On the other hand, I recognize that…. Everything about them will evoke discomfort. The few that agreed to help me form this report are… I don’t feel uncomfortable now that I’ve been around them, but even they understand that they themselves are odd. Lorulians I’ve interviewed (the sample size of 20) all mentioned that while they have Subrosian friends, they were hesitant to work with them beforehand simply due to their odd nature. I do predict integration troubles for the Subrosians… not because of anything they’ll do/do. I simply predict society will be… unwelcoming to such odd individuals. 

 

##  Subrosian History

Subrosians have a somewhat bland history. Forgers and secretive to a startling degree, they only agreed to speak to me because, quote, ‘We don’t want to be misrepresented in this report and we feel being open and honest is the best way to ensure this’. Though there is an interesting note. Their home dimension, Subrosia, did have a singularly odd event. A strange temple dedicated to the four seasons appeared one day, falling from a portal. Sadly, there are no known records of any such temple… though some of my assistants did search the void for it (we didn’t go into it, we simply opened a window into it) and we did find the temple they described, the single surviving remnant of their. Further, we discovered some subrosians are living there. Only about 20 but its still significant. As for their role in the war, they made many of the arms and armor that they used. We called it goron and zora, but really it was the Subrosians making it all. Otherwise, there is nothing noteworthy about their history.

 

##  Subrosian Biology

This is where it gets particularly weird. The Subrosians don’t really have a ‘biology’. They have ‘bodies’ and ‘senses’ and other such things, but they are almost entirely gaseous and magic-based. Their ‘bodies’ are a black gas and their ‘eyes’ are simply two white orbs of solid magic. Their cloaks are important too, naturally enchanted to hold their gaseous bodies together and block out sunlight. These cloaks are made by both parents (traditionally the mother tailors it and the father enchants it, but it really simply falls to the most skilled for the job) before the birth of the child and are remade as the child would grow. 

 

Sunlight is detrimental to Subrosians. Thankfully, the light in the void is not sunlight but divine light, meaning they were just fine. That said, care must be taken when employing a subrosian that they are given the means to defend themselves against sunlight and under no circumstances ask for their cloaks. Doing so exposes their bodies to the laws of physics and the wind will quickly rip them apart, killing them. 

 

##  Subrosian Magical Affinity

Subrosians magically are primarily enchanters. They can practice magic normally, but don’t due to cultural views on magic. Enchanting however is in fact seen as a fine art and is perfectly accepted. Further, channeling magic through an item is not frowned upon. They primarily use Healing Magic, Fire Magic, and Light Magic. However, they seem capable of enchanting any item with any kind of enchantment, provided they have personally learned the spell. 

 

Further, as stated before, the Subrosians themselves are highly magical. Their bodies employ magic to simulate the 5 mortal senses, with their magic orbs serving as ‘eyes’. Further, the fog can form limbs as needed and simulate their use (In fact, I did not note this because it did not belong in the biology section, but with concentration they were able to grind a chunk of platinum to dust. This is due to the nature of their body; it relies purely on how much magic power they can produce).

 

##  Subrosian Culture

Subrosian culture before now was shrouded in mystery, even to their benefactors/employers the Lorulians. They have revealed it to me, on the promise that I will not give my own opinions on it nor that I lie about it. I have submitted my contract to the guild showing this so that if I breach it, I will face retribution. With that stated, I will state the facts about Subrosian Culture. 

 

Subrosians are a very secretive society to outsiders. The reason has been lost but they respect it to the modern day. Further, they use a different form of currency (gems). Additionally, they are noted being a largely governmentless society, usually gathering to make big decisions. Another fact is that they are quite sociable with people they trust, showing them common Subrosian activities (Lava pool bathing (they have items for those not of the lava-bathing variety), dancing, and smithing contests). The final fact shared with me regarding their culture is twofold; while they are highly secretive, they are not opposed to working with outsiders and will do so, as long as outsiders to not needlessly pry and Subrosians will not openly admit it but they are at heart romantics and their society, if one pays attention, will reflect this. 

##  Readiness For Society

Subrosians I believe can fit into society. Accommodating them is not difficult and their talents are nothing to scoff at (the cloak the one that confided in me made as a sign of trust has worked well to ward the rain off of me when I travel). That said, considering their talent and the political situation, it may be better they go on the Second Great Expansion if for no other reason than so the Lorulian have something of good export value. As stated before, it ultimately is up to the Subrosians. 

 

#  In Closing

This has been my report on the ‘Dark Races’ that have joined us in Hyrule recently, after the Great War Against The Lich. I personally don’t like this title and would like to propose a new title for the six new races joining us, the ‘New Races’. They are not inherently evil and in fact are very similar to us in that it depends on individual to individual cases. As such I conclude the following; Zelda’s offer was well made. These New Races are refugees seeking a new home and while we can certainly accommodate them, it may be better to have them work to form their own and we give them some help in doing so. Secondly, that it is fine to trust them since any races that once held evil intent have long abandoned it and can be trusted. Finally, I conclude that the New Races do have things to offer Hyrule that we have lacked. 

 

 

 

Signed,

_ Research Adventurer Guild Rank 103, Lars Ruthberg, Identification Number 9087654.  _


	7. Chapter 5: The First Expedition, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to split this up into two parts... largely because the ruins took far longer than I thought they would. So yeah. Apologies.

**Chapter 5**

_ The First Expedition, Part 1 _

  
  
  


Damian sat in his chair. It was one of those foldable chairs. They passed them out as the sun began to set behind them and camp was formed. They were an expedition force of roughly 400 people and so their camp was like one of the war camps described in fantasy novels describing ancient wars in Hyrule. He sat in front of the fire holding a bowl with some mashed potatoes and lon lon sausages. In fact, he was certain most of the food they had was from the Lon Lon corporation. Not that he particularly minded, since Lon Lon hadn’t had a recall in the past 20 years. Next to him was Len and on his other side was Lasita. They ate similar rations. Lasita said lowly to him “Don’t talk too loud but… I did discover something…”. He looked at her as she said “I used a scan spell… and discovered an ancient tomb is about 4 miles southwest of here… was considering asking the expedition leader to let us try… ‘delving’ into it?”. Damian looked at Len whom had a serious look on his face, simply nodding. He nodded as well and said “Sure. Go ahead tonight… if we’re lucky, we get a shot at the first discovery to be made”. Lasita nodded and said “Alright”. Len smiled and asked “Think I can get in on this?”. Damian nodded, saying “Of course… we need a combat expert to help out… and others”. Len nodded, saying “I know a fey guys… we need some mages, and then another explorer… that should equal out to ten right?”. Lasita nodded, saying “I have some friends here from when I was in Rosu Academy… I’m sure they’d help”. Damian smiled and said “Then I’ll handle the extra explorer”. 

 

 

Early next morning Damian left his tent. He looked around to see if he could see anyone else… and there were. There were a few people up at the moment taking apart their tents and cleaning up. Only one sat off to the side, working on something. He had a cloak on and not the Lightning Cloaks that had been distributed the day before. He walked over and said “Excuse me. Are you an Exploration Adventurer?”. The figure turned, staring at him. He was a hylian like him. Brown hair, green eyes. However, there was one, very distinct difference. The man was much older, had to be pushing 60, and wore an eyepatch. He was working on a wood carving of some kind, holding a small knife. He sighed slowly and said “Might be… for the right price”. Damian stared, then responded “Does a chance at being the first to delve into a ruin of this land sound like a good price?”. The man stared more, then chuckled and said “If you can get permission, sure. What Rank are you?”. “New. Don’t even have one” Damian admitted. The man laughed and said “Wow… a complete rookie and you’re already itching to do your first ruin exploration….? You’ve got guts kid… tell ya what. You get that permission and fine I’ll come along. One thing. I’m not a babysitter. Got it?”. Damian nodded, saying “Understand sir… I’ll make sure to not be a burden” and turned to leave. He heard the man grunt and mumble before returning to wood carving. 

 

 

Len and Lasita each provided for their part of things. Lasita got two mages and a rune mage to run communication between the main group and them. Len managed to grab two others to handle the muscle part of things (His buddies from before). He meanwhile managed to convince a veteran explorer to join them.  The man was apparently low ranked, being rank 245. However, this was not an indication of his skill… rather it showed his history. Even Lasita recognized him. Roger Wright, at one time he reached Rank 50 with his exploration exploits. However, an accident caused him to become hospitalized, and since at the time the ranking didn’t account for lapses due to injuries requiring long periods of rest… his rank deteriorated to 150. Afterwards, he took it easy, reaching the rank he was today. Even so, he would be invaluable. As for the mages, Lasita managed to convince two naval officers to join them, each being mages. One was a Water+Barrier mage and the other was a Water+Healing mage. The third mage was a sheikah rune mage and an adventurer as well. Manni Frank and apparently he was rank 190 and a research adventurer. 

  
  


As Lasita approached with the mages, she said “Hello Damian, Len, and others. As I stated before, I’ve secured written permission from the Expedition Leader”. Roger laughed and said “Well then. Guess I’m coming along kiddo. I’m Roger Wright, Rank 245… Exploration Adventurer. I’ll work hard, as I promised kiddo here”, gesturing to Damian. He frowned a bit, not being fond of the nickname ‘Kiddo’. Manni walked forward and said “I’m Manni Frank, Research Adventurer Rank 190… I provided the copies of the runes you now have. I have more… one i’m going to use is a bit homebrewed but it works. It uses the spell ‘message’ for long-range sheikah comms instead of the network. I’ve already had my partner set her slate up to receive it and I have it open on mine”. Damian nodded, saying “Great… communication is important, both during and after. Anything else?”. Manni thought and said “Not much. I’m sadly not authorized to use or distribute any other runes. Apologies”. Damian said “No big… we should be able to get by with what we have. Then we have ten members, permission, and a location. Guess after we pack, we head out?”. Len answered saying “Well we need to talk about formation but sure”. Damian looked at Len, confused and asked “Formation….?”. Everyone stared at him and Roger sighed, saying “Go ahead and pack, I’ll give the kid a rundown on basics”. Everyone just nodded and walked away. 

 

 

“What the hell was that?” Robert asked, glaring at him “I thought I said I wasn’t babysitting you?”. Damian looked back and said “What? I’m not a tactician so I don’t know about complicated things like that”. Robert could only groan and pinch and rub the bridge of his nose, annoyed. After a few minutes, Robert said “You know what? Fine… free lesson in basic tactics. Yes, either you learn or I walk”. Damian sighed and said “Alright… I’m not opposed to learning something that could help”. Robert nodded and began explaining, saying “Formation is important for a few reasons, but the primary one is so it lets people do their job easier… hmmm” and stopped, looking around. He moved to a nearby table, pulling out his wood carving and a few others, placing them in a small circle. “Lets us this as an example. Say these 4 wood statues are you, your zora warrior friend, that seer, and me. Say we’re in a hallway in a dungeon. Who’d you put in the front and why?”. Damian thought about it and said “Len. He’s a combat adventurer that uses a spear”. Robert nodded, then asked “What about us?”. “Both of us in the middle… and then Lasita in the back” he answered. Robert shook his head, saying “Bad move…. You leave her exposed if we get attacked from behind…. The ideal setup is me in the back, Lasita behind Len so she can maximize her Seer Magic, and you in the middle… I have a pair of crossbows for close-range and a rifle for long range. You’re probably a gun and knife combo so you being in the middle gives you access to the front and back as needed”. Damian stared at the new ‘formation’ and nodded, getting it. “So… formation is the placement of people to maximize their skills?”. Robert nodded saying with a smile “Yes… you’re a quick learner at least. Then again, this is very basic stuff…. We’ll see if you develop”. 

 

 

Damian moved quickly to pack his things. Rations, Ammunition, his Lightning Cloak, some of the spell gems he brought along, and a few notebooks and pens, as well as pencils. He even brought a sharpening stone for his stone. His sword was naturally enchanted to have a sharp edge and be sharp, but he still needed to maintain it, since it wasn’t enchanted to be rustproof, nor made to be. Once he was ready. He returned to the group, whom was by then ready. By now, the entire camp had finished packing and it was 10am. They were about to head west when Robert said “Wait… Expedition Leader is coming”. He looked and she was. A gerudan female who was dressed in the attire of a gerudan enforcer. “Yes? Is something wrong?” he asked. The gerudo stopped a few feet away and said “Not really. Just here to pass on the data of where we’re camping… and in case it’s not feasible to meet us, on what to do. After all, if the ruin doesn’t kill you it would be shameful to let the elements do it”. Damian nodded, saying “Agreed. Thank you”. The gerudo moved to Maani, pulling out her slate and offering it. Maani got to work immediately. After it was done, the Gerudo accepted her slate back and said “With that, good luck explorers. May the goddess Din be with you” and turned away, going deeper into the now nearly finished packing expedition camp. Maani spoke up, saying “Alright. We’re good to go… we have a good plan to meet up with the Expedition Team if it takes too long… basically, we’re going to meet them back at the settlement and then after a resupply, head north”. Damian smiled and said “That’s actually a good idea…”. Maani nodded, saying “Yes… Shara is quite the leader. She really considers everyone’s condition”. With that, they left. Many looked at them questioningly, but no one stopped them. 

  
  


The trek to the ruins was fairly simple. The plains were mostly flat with small 3 foot tall hills occasionally. However, their destination was a particularly large one in the distance. It was roughly 20 feet tall and from what he could guess 20 feet in width. It was probably simply a large chamber. Even so, the place would give them an idea of either who lived here or still did and this was simply an ancestral tomb. The trek took roughly 3 and a half hours but they had plenty of daylight when they arrived. “This is the place?” Damian asked Lasita. “Yes… my scan spell indicates it and the entrance location… it’s on the other side of this hill”. Damian nodded and Robert led them towards it. Once there, all they saw was a grassy hill… until Robert moved 10 feet down the hill, reached down, and moved some grass and dirt aside, revealing stonework. “Here!” he yelled “Get the spell gems. We have a spell lock here”. One of the spell mages moved forward, as did Maani pulling out his slate and took a picture of the lock with his slate, saying “Give me five minutes and I’ll figure out the spell gems needed. I have an app and enchantment that lets me scan mana traces”. Damian nodded and said “Then… 5 minute break?”. Everyone nodded and took off their packs, sighing in relief. It was their third break that day. However, this was fine. They had arrived at the ruin and now they had free reign to explore it… provided they communicated semi-regularly with the main expedition force. 

 

 

After 5 minutes, Maani said “Got it… we need a ‘Move Earth’ spell gem,‘Lock’ spell gem, and ‘Mark’ spell gems… order doesn’t matter.”. One of the mages moved forward, leaning down and moving some more dirt and grass, and placed three spell gems into the smooth circular impressions in the apparent stone door. They hadn’t fully revealed it but knew it was there. It was where the seer had said it was. The circular impressions however turned out to be something else, as they spun, turning into a dome, then after a minute, returned to how they were but missing the gems. A rumbling emanated across the ground and everyone moved away as part of the ground opened up. As expected, the doors were essentially stone slabs. Interestingly though, the slabs had no hinges… they bent from the earth itself. “What the…?” Damian muttered before Maani spoke, saying “Damn… it’s a real fusion spell….”. Damian gave a puzzled look to Maani as Lasita spoke up, saying “A fusion spell…. It’s a rare thing that’s never been observed… it’s the combination of multiple spells that create an entirely new spell…”. Damian looked down at the door and asked “Then… this is likely something important?”. Robert spoke up, saying “We can’t say that… these people could follow different rules, making fusion spells completely normal but regular spells rare… at this stage, we can’t say anything about the people that lived or live here. We must explore to discover such”. Damian nodded, then said “Well… then we can get started-” but was interrupted as one of the Zoran warriors spoke up, saying “I think it’d be best for a small party to stay here… we don’t know the extent of this ruin and frankly…. The use of the ‘lock’ spell worries me…”. 

 

 

The mage carrying the groups spell gems, one Matrick Volney, spoke up and said “I have to agree…. If i’m allowed, I do have a hypothesis…. The combination used ‘mark’ in conjunction with ‘move earth’ and ‘lock’.... What if it was closing or opening other doors? If so, then this door likely will close at some point and we may be unable to open it within”. Lasita nodded, saying “I see… a good observation. Then, Damian, we should do that… I personally suggest Matrick, Jen, and Brad… that should be enough to hold down a small camp here”. Damian nodded and said “Sure. Robert?”. Robert laughed and said “I have to agree… alright then. Jen, Brad, Matrick, you have your orders. Hold down the fort and when we get back open it up”. The three nodded and began to set up a small camp. Damian turned to the entrance to the ruins and headed inside. Matrick spoke up saying “Hey! Lasita! Come here!”. Lasita walked over, accepting a pair of small bags, then walked towards the ruins after a small, silent conversation. Damian watched Lasita, asking “Spell gems?”. Lasita nodded, saying “Yes… he gave me quite a number. 20 in total”. Robert spoke, walking in and said “I see… how many of those three?”. Lasita responded saying “Oh… he gave me another bag. They hold about 10 castings of that fusion spell”. Robert nodded, saying “Good. We’ll need it… then we need to discuss formation. I suggest you, Maani, and Damian be in the middle, Len taking point, while Ven and I defend the rear”. Len nodded and said “Alright… then Damian, I’m relying on you to keep a sharp eye out for traps alright?”. Damian nodded, saying “I will, Len”. With that, they entered the ruins in their formation. 

 

 

Damian held a torch. He held it in his right hand, his sword hand. This was because a torch could double as a weapon, but only if he held it in the hand he trained to use his sword. His other hand used his pistol and it was the more powerful of the two weapons. All of them held a torch, since they did not have a light mage amongst them to cast a ‘Light’ spell. Further, they found other torches and while they did not take all of them, they took a few from each hallway to keep a steady supply, and lit the rest. Surprisingly, Maani realized they were magical and after another 5 minutes said “These torches… the wood part is enchanted to be invincible to harm, while the top is enchanted to sustain any fire indefinitely, drawing power from local ley lines… it’s using fairy magic in the enchantment”. This was a shock as Lasita asked “Fairy magic… in an enchantment? Just who were these people?”. Maani replied, saying “Who knows… wait….. Maybe… Lasita? You remember back in academy that we decided to do an essay on the Zonai right?”. Lasita looked at Maani and responded “Yes… why- wait… are you suggesting that they came from here?”. Maani shrugged and said “I dunno but it seems a little odd…. Can’t say anything yet… but it’s interesting to point out”. “Point out what?” Damian asked. Lasita turned saying “The Zonai from times long before the calamity were a people who supposedly practiced ‘real magic’... our studies showed that their magic largely is similar to magic we use today… if not the exact same”. Damian looked at the torch and said “Well… certainly sounds convincing… but it sounds like we need more”. Lasita nodded, saying “Yes… the Zonai’s proficiency and these amazing enchantments aren’t enough. We need something definitive”. “Well… maybe the ruins hold the secret we need… or something more” Len said “Shall we continue?”. Lasita nodded and they continued. 

 

 

Damian kept an eye open for traps. It was something else he trained for. Many adventurers considered Exploration Adventurers to either be brainy archeologists or the archetypical rogues that stealthed through ruins and disarmed traps. Knowing this, he knew he’d have to fulfill at minimum half that and so trained for it. Further, he admittedly fell into the part of society that believed this archetype to be true too. Thus while he was not ‘good’ he was capable. He had already caught onto a few traps and instructed them how to avoid it, Robert only pointing out a few things at times. The most devious one had been when they entered the room they now stood in. A torch produced oil not just at the top but also the bottom. It wasn’t so high a torch would catch it on fire… the idea was that the oil would drop down, pass an explorer's torch flame and hit the oil waiting below, igniting the adventurer and making them panic… to seperate them from the people who could help. Thankfully, it only dripped down the middle, so taking care to keep it away from there prevented the trap completely…. To make sure though, Maani used a rune they didn’t have access to; Stasis. It froze the object in time and kept it there. He had the latest version and so it was locked in for an entire half minute. This gave enough for three of them to go through each time, Maani going last. Inside the room was something they didn’t expect. 

 

 

The thing that stuck out was the room didn’t use torches beyond the one. The room was 17 feet high and about 20 feet wide. Hanging from the ceiling over each coffin was a lantern hanging on a chain. Inside was a single, yellow, glowing rock. As such, the room was very well lit. The second thing that stuck out to him were the coffins. They were carved entirely from stone and lined either side of the room. They were 10 feet in length and roughly 2 and a half feet tall… and came out of the ground rather than looking like they had been placed there. The final thing that stood out were the glowing runes on the wall on the far side of the room. They made their way to the runes, Lasita walking forward. “These runes… they aren’t of the Zonai… what little they left behind, they had a different standard than this…” she said. “An offshoot perhaps?” Maani offered. “That… or different people” Robert said “The Zonai… they didn’t believe in putting their people in coffins. Even assuming the theory they came to Hyrule, if they did a ‘tomb’ would’ve been built”. Lasita stared at the runes and said “Wait… is this…” and placed a hand to her head, mumbling something. What followed was a full seven minutes of silence before Lasita pulled her hand away, saying in disbelief “I don’t believe it… this… isn’t Zonai writing at all… this language.. It matches… nothing we have…” Lasita said breathlessly. Maani sighed and said “Oh well… it was a good thought experiment… still a damn shame though”. “Then… we’re dealing with another tribe” Damian said “One that could still be around”. Len nodded, saying “Then we use this trip to learn… not to plunder. We don’t want to insult the locals any further than we may have”. Robert nodded, saying “Agreed… we can only take things back home because everyone agrees it's fair…. We’ve made no such deal with anyone here beyond ourselves”. Damian nodded and said “Then let’s continue… also, don’t touch that. For some reason it has an outline and I get the feeling it depresses… I don’t wanna find out what happens if it does”. Robert cracked a smile and said “So you caught it… good on you pup… you might have a chance yet”. Damian only smiled. 

  
  


The ruins had a different feeling after that. Before it had a vibe of mystery and intrigue. Now it had a… somber tone. He wasn’t sure if it was because they realized the Zonai, an ancient tribe that existed in Hyrule at one point before the calamity, had nothing to do with these ruins… or if it was the coffins. He always thought back to it as they walked through. He kept pointing out traps and disarming what he needed…. But he thought about it in their breaks. By now, a couple of hours had passed. The stone hallways remained more or less the same as before. Good, smooth stonework that showed that it was carved and not naturally formed… but nothing more. That was, until they reached a new room… well ‘room’ wasn’t the right word. They reached a circular part of a hallway that split into four different paths. Each path was blocked by a door. Each door had a hand reaching out from the left with three impressions to place something inside. There also were stone-carved pictures depicting something both on the floor and ceiling. He bent town to look at them while Len kept an eye out, examining them. Maani and Lasita already were while Robert and Ven helped to keep an eye out. As he looked he realized something. “Hey……. This trio of triangles above this bump…. Isn’t that symbolizing the triforce?” he asked. Maani immediately stood and walked over, saying “Yes… and the three beings over there represent the golden goddesses….”. Damian looked to the other bump. He stared specifically at the line that came from the bump. He then realized it. “This… represents Hyrule… that represents this land”. Lasita spoke saying “In Hyrule, petroglyphs were used by ancient tribes to tell future generations of their past in case they were forgotten… it’s how we even know of the golden goddesses…. And…” but Maani finished saying “Hylia….. We only know because of their foresight. Seems like these people had the same idea… what intrigues me is that they knew of Hyrule… and its power. It makes me curious about their relationship”. 

  
  


Lasita spoke, saying “We can take a stone sample back to date… send it back with the ship that sends for the second fleet”. Maani nodded, saying “Good idea. Hey! Len!”. A loud clang was heard and the breaking of rocks. Len then put his spear back into its holster on his back, bent down picking up a piece of broken stone, then walked over to Maani and said “Here you go, one stone”. Maani nodded, aiming his Slate’s camera and making it vanish. “What the…?” he muttered. Maani smirked and said “Impressed? Thanks. It’s just a little homebrew I whipped up…. The runes called ‘Storage’. It’s pretty high-tech and high magic… basically, I just turned the rock into sheikah magic and stored it into its own separate file… I’ll return it when we get back”. Damian nodded and looked up now, lifting his torch. He gasped and nearly dropped it. “What the… hell…!?” he uttered, completely shocked. Staring back at him was a perfectly carved stone eye. Everyone gasped, seeing it. “Damn…. That’s… creepy” Robert said. “No kidding… what is… that kind of picture doing here?” Ven asked. “I… don’t know… what does this-” Len started before Lasita spoke in a serious tone “It’s… a clear indicator…”. Maani finished, saying “Whomever built this thought that this eye was above all of us…. All of these lands… above the goddesses and the triforce…”. Damian looked at the triforce then the eyes and asked “But... we beat the Lich… is this saying… there’s something worse lurking here?”. 

 

 

After that, they simply headed down the 1st corridor on the left. They deposited the spell gems into the slots and watched as the door opened and the door they came in from closed, confirming a fear. They were beginning to get tired, but needed a room large enough to sleep in… and sleeping in a room full of coffins sat well with exactly zero people, damian most of all. After five minutes, they entered a new room, after of course avoiding a tripwire trap. It was a large enough room, and all it had were 4 more petroglyphs depicting… the regions of the new land. “This is definitely a find” Damian said as he examined one “I recognize that monument. It’s the one a couple of miles from the settlement”. Maani took pictures of the one he was looking at. Ven was watching the entry while Robert and Len set up camp for them. Lasita, him and Maani were going over the petroglyphs. “Indeed… that means we’ve effectively found an ancient map… it’s likely old so not as useful, but it certainly has worth” Lasita stated, moving to another one “Plus… it depicts what’s around that tower…. It seems to be coming out of the center of a lake”. Damian looked at Maani and said “Right… well. We found a room to camp in. Let’s get set up and send a message outside”. Maani nodded and said “Already did… and to the expedition leader” and he moved away, heading to a tent “She isn’t happy it’s going to take us longer but gets it”. Damian nodded as Len and Robert finished making a fire, the tents being set up “Then let’s have dinner and sleep…. We have more to explore”. Everyone nodded and got started. It looked like they weren’t done yet. 

 

 

The next morning they were quick to move. They re-entered the four way corridor and went down the next corridor. This time there were petroglyphs all along the walls… depicting people. Not hylians. These people seemed to have many different features… most telling were the ears. Only gerudo had rounded ears. Well, that used to be, until now. The people depicted had rounded ears. That’s when he noticed and stopped, saying “Hey… these are… this side are the people of this land” and touching the right side… he then walked to the other side and touched it, saying “This side… depicts us…”. Maani looked and said “You’re right… this is a sheikah… and that’s a zora…. Good eye… dami was it?”. “Damian” he corrected. Lasita spoke, saying “This proves these people knew of hyrule… perhaps if we continue we’ll discover more?”. Damian nodded, and followed Len as he continued. He was shocked they were learning so much from a ruin in the… ground. Now he had a bad feeling. 

 

 

It was sort of confirmed. The room they entered were more coffins, except the one on the far side…. It was 5 feet tall, 12 feet long, 5 feet wide. Further, it was vertically aligned, while the rest were horizontal. There was another inscription above the coffin. Unreadable, like before due to the language barrier. Robert spoke, saying “I’m going to guess this is a tomb we’ve come across… likely of a high-ranking official”. Lasita nodded, saying “Likely, this is the burial chamber of a descendant… it feels like an ancestral tomb”. Damian said “If it is… we may have upset the locals”. Robert nodded, saying “Then let’s move on… we shouldn’t disturb the dead”. Damian nodded and they did so. As they returned to the main room, he stopped. Something had changed. He raised a hand and Robert stopped, saying “Halt…. What’s up boy?”. Damian spoke, saying “I… something’s changed. Can you feel it?”. Robert nodded, saying “Yes…”. Damian stopped and looked up. “The eye” he stated “It’s moved… it’s facing where we came from!”. Robert stared up and said “Boy….. we’ve run into a trap. It’s tracking us… Maani, contact the others… inform them that the ruin isn’t just some tomb… it’s magically active”. Maani spoke, saying “On it” typed rapidly onto his slate. Damian sighed. Robert spoke then and said “Don’t feel bad kid… I failed to notice and i’m the vet in this situation… still! Everyone, look alive. We’ve now in a hostile area…. We need to continue still until we encounter something that would risk our lives!”. Everyone nodded. Lasita spoke, saying with glowing eyes “Our destination is that corridor… it’s… a lot of magic is flowing there”. Damian nodded, steeling himself as Len led the way down the corridor. 

  
  


It took an hour. Lasita had apparently activated her strongest spell that she knew; Seer Sight. It was a spell she had to learn and cast in order to graduate from Rosu Academy as a Seer Mage. It was a very straightforward, if mentally and emotionally taxing spell. It let Lasita view the most likely possible future ahead of them for any length of time she wanted. She view it in either quickened time, regular time, or slowed time. Regardless of how she perceived it, it was not instantaneous and she was exposed during it without training. Thus, it was up to them to react to her warnings and to defend her. He didn’t know what she was seeing but Lasita was silent throughout the trip through the hallway…. When they came across the door. Len turned, saying “Get me the spell gems… since it’s so easy-” but Lasita interrupted, saying “No… Maani? You do it but has Stasis ready to use on the door… and everyone, stay 5 feet back”. Maani nodded, moving past them to the door, opening the bag and retrieving the gems. He then handed it to Len to hold onto and pulled out his slate. He sighed and said “Don’t tell anyone I used magic to do something like this, got it?”. Everyone slowly nodded. 

 

 

Maani spoke, saying “Voice-Activation: Dusan Dreilock”. The slate came to life, saying in a low feminine voice “Voice accepted. Hello Admin Maani. How can I help you today?”. Maani spoke, saying “Ready Stasis Rune to activate upon detection of magic in the door ahead… you can see it in the camera Varia”. Maani leveled the slate to the door and reached to prepare to deposit spell gems as the slate asked “To what end?”. “Lasita detects something… and wants it stopped in time after we use these spell gems to open it… they are spell locks that combine the spells ‘Lock’, ‘Move Earth’, and ‘Mark’. As such, we know magic is used to open them” Maani answered. The slate spoke again, saying “Understood Admin Maani… ready when you are. Magic scanner is active and at the first sign of magic, the Stasis Rune version 29 will activate”. Maani nodded and dropped them into each slot. After all of them were filled, the hand slid into the wall and a large ‘thud!’ was heard before the hand slid out. Suddenly, the door glowed yellow as magic shot from the slate to the door. Maani spoke again, saying “Thank you Varia. Deactivate, Voice Activation: Lockeird Nasud”. The slate then deactivated instantly. 

  
  


The door activated after the stasis rune wore off. Inside was a grisly scene. Coffins throw… no, broken open, some petroglyphs damaged. However, what made the scene truly disturbing were a series of the same eyes all facing their direction, as if observing them. A single one sitting above a throne faced them, and the pupil zeroed in on them. The throne itself was absolutely ornate. Made of solid gold, covered in red, silk-looking fabric. On it though disturbed everyone. At the end sat the grisly body of the focal point of the tomb. They knew it because of the golden, sparkling, gem-ridden crown that sat upon its brow. Rubies, Sapphires, jewels they’d never seen before covered key parts intricately. The face below though was wrapped in still seemingly fresh bandages. On the body a full-body cape made of red and colored at the edges and seams gold sat on its body. Its arms laid upon the arms of the throne and it wore a few golden, ruby-embedded rings and bracelets with diamonds in them. From its neck hung a sun-shaped medallion with emeralds for eyes. Finally, standing out of the ground next to the throne was a large, black, iron greatsword. It had to have been 7 feet long. The only gaps in the bandages were for its mouth and eyes. “Damn…. Must be the VIP buried here…” Damian said “And… I know what these coffins are…” and looked at Robert, who nodded and said “Keep alive… we’re looking at the king’s men, whom likely swore to defend him in death. One wrong step and we’re dead…. Hell, we’ve likely done it”. Damian sighed and asked “Then… we should send one…” but Lasita interrupted him, saying “Robert… he won’t trigger anything… rest of us will”. Robert nodded, and began moving forward carefully. All he had to do was examine the caped figure. See what was up. Get pictures of the petroglyphs… get a look in a coffin, then get out… he only hoped it went well. 


	8. Chapter 6: the First Expedition, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The delve is abruptly stop when a mistake is made and our heroes flee with all due haste. Meanwhile, the Expedition Force faces trouble on the front. A new creature they are unfamiliar with attacks. Will the expedition end in failure, or can it be salvaged?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lateness. I tried writing but experienced a block. I finally got over it, even if its shorter than I'd like. Enjoy. P6 coming soon as I proof-read. After that, more Noir.... and a potential announcement. Enjoy!

**Chapter 6**

_ The First Expedition, Part 1 _

  
  
  


Lasita said nothing and whispered they had to say nothing. They had trouble hearing due to the deafening silence being overwhelmed by the light footfalls of Robert’s steps. Damian stayed behind, watching his superior examine the room. Both for traps and to do the bulk of the research. According to Lasita, all of them save for Robert would’ve triggered whatever trap awaited them. Robert first moved to the robed figure. He walked around it, snapping a picture with the slate before moving towards a petroglyph in a curved pattern, seemingly avoiding traps. He however kept his eyes elsewhere. He watched the eyes and realized something. They had stopped hiding their power. They now actively moved. Many followed Robert, but he saw some watch them… the one above the throne stayed affixed to them, though shifted ever so slightly to change focus. He gasped a bit, whispering “No way…. That eye above the throne…. And other eyes. They’re watching us… I think each one corresponds to a coffin”. Len looked around and whispered back “Interesting…… yeah. There seem to be a number of eyes equal to the number of coffins”. Damian looked and Lasita and said “Indeed…. Which means if it witnesses something untoward, it may trigger an alarm. We should warn Robert” but moved slowly so Lasita’s magic could work. Lasita grabbed his sleeve and tugged down. An affirmative no and to stop talking. He nodded and crouched. That told him that either Robert knew or he was wrong about the triggering mechanism.    
  
  


 

After an hour of waiting, Robert moved towards them, closing the coffin completely. An eye had turned red and the corpses head slowly turned towards Robert. However, he never touched the body inside and only took photos before resealing the coffin. He never was very forceful either, as the dust cloud produced by Robert using force was very, very small. What you would expect from a heavy but unsealed coffin lid. After that, the corpse’s head turned back to the and the eye turned back to its stony color. Robert made his way back, eventually asking as he approached “I got pictures. That enough?”. Manni nodded and said “Yeah…. Lets get out of here”, turning to leave. Len nodded and waited for Robert to pass before pulling out spell gems. Lasita suddenly turned, saying “Don’t! Magic is what triggers them!”. However, it was too late. The eye above the throne became solid red and the figure moved. It was a blur but Len still reacted. He spun around and thrust his spear at the figure which jumped backwards onto a coffin to dodge. With that movement, a few eyes became solid red. Coffins began to bust open. 

 

 

Len jumped back, depositing the gems into the hand before channeling magic through his spear, saying “Water Cut!” and began to spin his spear vertically between both sides of him. Water began to pour from the tip of the spear and due to the spinning was flung forward. Every ten rotations or so magic would burst from Len, into his spear, and send a pressurized blade of water forward composed of the magical water formed from the spear. This stopped the shockingly fast mummy creatures that emerged from the other coffins and immediately rushed the entrance. It also kept the cloaked, kingly one away from Len before the door closed fully. The next blade slammed into the stonework, doing literally no damage. The water splashed over it, covering it in water as though the magic that touched it vanished…. Then the moisture was absorbed. Then the rock looked brittle. “Run!” Lasita yelled and began to. They didn’t want and began a hasty retreat, Len ending his Water Cut spell. 

 

 

They arrived back at the central chamber, heading for the door they came in. It hadn’t opened at all since they began opening doors but it had the hand all the doors thus far came with. Manni dropped the required spell gems and waited anxiously with them for the doors to open, Ven and Len on guard. “Any chance of them breaking through?” Ven asked Lasita. “Yes… they’re using magic to do something to the stonework. Making it brittle. Thankfully, it’s not instant so we have time… and more with each door we go through” Lasita answered, running through the now open door with the rest of them. They ran through familiar areas. Damian noted the surprising lack of opening or open coffins as they ran through that particular room. Eventually, they left the ruins completely. The ones there moved greet them, but became disturbed at their haste in retreating… and Jen asked “What happened?”. “A lot” Len answered, moving out first, helping the others “Just hurry and pack… Matrick, Brad, once everyone gets out use magic to collapse the entrance!”. 

 

 

Damian said aloud as he left “No! We can’t! Remember our orders. We can’t damage any ruins without good cause, and unless those things come up we have none!”. Len looked at him, saying “You saw how that Redead moved! It’s the fastest damn thing I’ve ever seen! I barely was able to react to it!”. Damian stared and said “I know but we have no choice… we have to keep it as intact as reasonably possible. Let’s pack up and leave quickly”. Robert spoke himself “Sorry kids but that’s how it is… though we can do something about the entrance. Lasita… combine your lock spell with Manni’s ‘Stasis’ rune”. Lasita’s eyes widened and she was about to protest when Manni spoke up himself, saying “Wow, wow, wow… we haven’t had training nor trained to do a fusion spell, and you wanna just have us do that? Do-” but stopped as Robert replied “If any two people could do one on the fly, it’s you two… you can scan magic and alter your runes after all….”. Manni stopped, thinking, and said “To be fair…. That is true… I can do those two things… but if even one micromana is off-” but Matrick intervened, saying with an inquisitive tone “Wait… what if we used a focus? Couldn’t you alter the rune on the fly?”. Manni nodded, answering “Yeah… I forgot, you’re an enchanter specialist… you’ve got plenty of gems we can use as one. If that’s the case… you have a diamond? That stuff withstands any sort of magic power funneled through”. Matrick only nodded and produced the diamond. Lasita replied “Then… let’s begin. We may not have much time”. 

 

 

Damian kept watch with Robert for anything. Last thing they needed was the wild life attacking. They had noticed most of the wildlife looked like creatures from Hyrule, but they had seen some oddities. The best example had been what were now called the Thunderbirds. Large eagles that would occasionally let out a noise that sounded like thunder and traveled in a flock. With this in mind, their knowledge of ecosystems would not exactly help them. In the new continent. Meanwhile, Matrick prepared the diamond and Lasita used ‘Lock’ on a few items to let Manni do some scans. After they were ready, they began. Manni used ‘Stasis’ on the diamond and Lasita used ‘Lock’ on the diamond. Matrick then directed the magical energies inside the diamond to the door of the ruins they had discovered. At first, the spells did not mix. After 15 minutes of Manni altering the ‘Stasis’ rune while it was active, the spells fused into a new one and the diamond flashed, casting the new spell onto the doorway. The result was the doorway glowing a mix of yellow and purple light and a magical keyhole appearing over it. “There” Matrick said “The fusion spell was a success”. Lasita sighed in relief, and Manni said “A good combination too… thanks to Lock, the stasis half will persist until we come back and use Lasita’s magical energy to unlock it.. And with stasis active, nothing is breaking through”. Matrick replied, saying “Yeah but we can’t try that again… this diamond nearly broke… I don’t want to think what the backlash would’ve been”. 

 

 

With the entrance secured against pursuit or invasion, the group finished packing their camp up and began to leave. It was still the afternoon and so there was no reason to stick around… plus, none of them would admit it, but the fact was that they weren’t confident the fusion spell would hold. With those facts in mind, Damian and his crew left with all due haste. They also wanted to meet up with the group so that they would have strength in numbers. They had a decent amount, but a large enough and brave enough predator could easily cull those numbers. Even coming across the wrong herbivore could spell doom, since they weren’t familiar with the local wildlife. It took them a few days, but they met up with the group… in the middle of a fight.  A massive creature stood in the center of camp. Its body walked on four legs, its legs akin to that of a bird, and was covered in brown feathers… except the head and front of the beast. Brilliant white feathers shone in the bright sunlight of the plains. Its eyes were amber and gazed at them, watching and calculating as the beast fought the expedition group. It’s body weathered the blows it received but it fought still, lashing out with its talons, each limb armed with a claw except for its large 20 foot long and 10 foot tall wings. The claws themselves were impressive, being 2 inches thick. Its face was much like the eagles Damian had seen pictures of back home and even seen at times in the metropolis. 

 

 

Robert acted first, saying “Lasita, go find the Expedition Leader and use your seer magic to aid her leadership. Matrick, get with the other enchanters. Manni… do whatever you do best in this situation. Damian, Len, Ven, Jen, I want you to get up there and help them. Pull back if ordered, got it?”. Everyone nodded and went off to do what they needed to. Damian himself followed Len and his friends, heading for the beast. The creature had stopped attacking and simply stared them all down. He stopped as their eyes met. Len himself noticed his sudden stopped and did too, turning to him. “Damian?” he asked. The others continued on. “It’s smart…” Damian said, watching as it fluttered its wings, as if testing them and the winds “It’s taking in everything we’re doing… it’s learning…”. As if on cue, the sound of gunshots rang out and with a surge of its wings a gust of wind diverted the bullets away from its body. Only one sank itself into its leg. Len marveled before glaring at it. The creature let out a roar, rearing back and let off a blast of air forward, knocking 10 feet of adventurers to the ground. The creature then slammed onto the ground, rushing forward. Adventurers immediately helped who they could to get them out of its path, but some were unable to help as it rushed forward and after a few minutes of running took off into the air, to the cacophony of gunfire. The bullets hit their mark but did little to the massive beast. It flew away leaving behind some casualties and dozens injured. 

  
  


The clean up was harsh. They had lost ten members to it and most of the frontline fighters were injured. Damian stood before the expedition leader, who was standing in front of a fold-out table with a map tacked on. The tent that surrounded them was open so the Expedition Leader could give orders easier. Next to him was Manni and on his other side Robert. The leader stared at them with an intensity he didn’t know existed. “So. You disturbed the tomb, and proceeded to cast magic on it… after showing it could manipulate magic” the Expedition Leader said in a tone hinting at anger. Robert shook his head, saying “ No, miss. We underestimated the perceptibility of the magics there, alerting the tombs ruler and sealed the tomb to prevent pursuit from a foe that showed incredible speed and exceptional strength… and a contingent of at least 50 creatures like it”. The Leader glared at Robert, saying “Did you at least get something? I expected days of excavation and you come back after a few days saying you accidentally unleashed an army… how else am I supposed to interpret this situation? Not the mention that damned bird….”, trailing off as Manni spoke up, saying “I did take pictures of everything… got a sample of the stone, and I managed to get a scan of how the magic interacted with the ruins…”. The leader turned to him, deadpanned, and said “Great. Get over to research and get working. I want news by the end of today”. Damian spoke, saying “Sorry for this leader. Truly. We won’t fail again”. The leader sighed deeply, saying “Fine… I won’t punish you this time. However, I’m not approving another separate endeavor. You’re marching with us or back home. Understood?”. Damian nodded and the Leader continued, saying “Now leave. I have to talk to the research department about that beast. I want to be prepared for it”. They all nodded and left in the directions of their respective duties. 

  
  


Damian for his part was eventually told to simply rest. As it turned out, a lot of the more experienced adventurers didn’t trust a newcomer like him. Especially in light of recent events. While his delve wasn’t a failure, it had brought little back in the way of useable info. By the next day, it was decided that the expedition force would mount a retreat. They didn’t know if the bird had a pack or flock like the Thunderbirds, but the fact was that it was powerful. Most of their weapons did shallow wounds, with only guns proving effective and the creature tore through their defenses and crushed anyone it grabbed. Further, the research department concluded that it was capable of magic which rather than enable flight merely enhanced it. These facts scared the expedition force into retreating fully. The rolling southern hills were not for exploring until a force was sent out with their light cannons, or even some of the more heavy-duty artillery like mortar shells. Damian couldn’t blame them… though one thing bothered him. The creature never one ate any of them. It had attacked with ferocity and then left well before it was established that they were capable of killing it. He wondered if perhaps the creature attacked to give a direct, clear warning to keep off its territory, which they may have intruded upon… after all. Once they entered the rolling hills south of the settlement, he had noticed a strangely small amount of Thunderbirds. 

 

 

It took them a while but they eventually returned to the settlement. Not to permanently stay. The expedition leader vowed to get permission to go north, which under normal circumstances would not be a good idea since the only wood in the northern area were near the Lost Woods and the Korok Forest, both of which were off-limits for different reasons. However, here in the New Lands they had no idea what was north beyond the mountains. Some of them were snow-covered but some were plain and barren. Yet, despite this the Expedition Leader announced a week later that the expedition was approved and all members were to prepare for departure immediately. He sighed and prepared for just that. When they set out, things were different. They had a formation this time. The warriors had been regulated to form a defensive circle around the main force, with adventurers like him forming a third defensive ring. Mages were kept in the center and Rito gunners and Stormdancers flew in the air. Yet, not all the paladins were kept on the outside. They were dispersed throughout the force, in case another one of those bird dragons flew down to cause trouble. It took a few weeks but their expedition found success. A snow-covered forest stood before them, and it looked massive. They couldn’t even see the forest on the horizon to their right, the forest somewhat falling into the ocean on their left. They had traveled upwards some time before but it wasn’t steep. After a few days of ascending, the elevation had clearly increased. The expedition leader ordered them to stop for the day and set up camp. After all, they found their goal. Harvesting wood could wait until tomorrow. 


End file.
